About this Event
About this event
In recent years, the trade relationship between the European Union and Aotearoa New Zealand has been focused on the negotiations of the Free Trade Agreement. With the conclusion of the negotiations in June 2022, the signature of the official text a year later, and the envisaged entry into force in 2024, the deal will create economic opportunities on both sides. At the same time the European Union and Aotearoa New Zealand remain actively committed to the global trading system and seek to breathe new life into the World Trade Organisation. After multiple Covid-related delays, the 12th Ministerial Conference finally took place in June 2022. It put the WTO back on the map, but the road ahead remains rocky. With the 13th Ministerial Conference scheduled for February 2024 in Abu Dhabi, this hot topic seminar looks at the key points on the agenda from the perspective of the European Union and Aotearoa New Zealand.
About the speakers
Diane Lacoste is the Head of Trade at the Delegation of the European Union to New Zealand. She recently completed a posting as Counsellor at the Mission of the European Union to the WTO. She joined the European Commission in 2008 and has since then specialised in international trade relations. She holds various Masters degrees, including a Master Degree in European Union Law from the College of Europe in Bruges (Belgium) and a diploma from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris (France).
James Andersen is Lead Adviser in the Trade Policy and Negotiations Division at the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Manatū Aorere (MFAT), where he coordinates New Zealand’s engagement in the WTO, with a particular focus on preparations for the 13th Ministerial Conference in 2024. James has been posted to the New Zealand Embassies in Bangkok as Deputy Head of Mission (2017-2021), and Berlin as Second Secretary (2011-2014).
Date: Thursday 28th September
Time: 4.30 - 5.30pm
Location: University of Auckland, Building 803, faculty of Law (17 Eden Crescent)
Hybrid Event: If you register for an Online ticket, you will be sent a Zoom link closer to the time.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Auckland Law School, University of Auckland, Short Street, Auckland, New Zealand
NZD 0.00