Australia’s Relationship with the European Union: from Tensions to New Paradigms
About the project
After decades of tension and conflict, Australia’s relationship with the European Union (EU) has reached a milestone. The new engagement is comprehensive, reflecting an Australian all-of-government commitment to work with the EU, its institutions and member states. With the multi-faceted Framework Agreement coming into force provisionally in 2018, this treaty level relationship constitutes a priority engagement. It is expected to strengthen EU-Australia actions and interests on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues. Yet significant challenges place the relationship at a critical juncture. Faced with Brexit, continued uncertainty surrounding the United States’ international role, and increasing regional and global instability, Australia and the EU are seeking to enhance cooperation to tackle these challenges.
This project has conducted an examination of relations between Australia and the EU. It identified opportunities for this engagement to further develop around a range of policies and forums. It examined the dialogue and negotiation of key agreements and policy engagement (including multilateral and regional cooperation, security, trade, refugee flows) especially within the Asia-Pacific/Indo Pacific. It assessed the implications of the Framework Agreement and the negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement.
The project’s research findings have been disseminated at numerous conferences, seminars and workshops in both Australia and Europe. TANPEAR has held a series of events as part of this project, where scholars, policy makers, and representatives of industry and civil society discussed key issues in the relationship. A substantial number of publications has been produced. Additional research outputs will be published over the next few years. Three key publications the of TANPEAR team are:
- Murray, P. and Matera, M., 2019, Australia and the European Union: Towards Deeper Engagement, Policy Report (October), The University of Melbourne.
- Murray, P. and Matera, M., 2019, Australia and the European Union: Trends and Current Synergies, Policy Report (May), The University of Melbourne.
- Matera, M. and Murray, P. eds. 2020, EU-Australia Relations: Synergies and Shared Concerns, The University of Melbourne. A version of this collection was also published, by invitation, in Global Affairs, 2019, vol 5, issues 4-5.
A selection of publications is presented below:
- Allison-Reumann, L., Matera, M., Murray, P. 2020, The implications of Brexit for relations between the EU, the UK and Australia, in Gänzle, S, Leruth, B, and Trondal, J (eds): Differentiated Integration and Disintegration n a Post-Brexit Era? London, Routledge, pp. 219-236.
- Allison-Reumann, L., Matera, M. and Murray, P. 2018, ‘Assessing Australia’s options in the context of Brexit: engaging with the UK and the EU’, Australian Journal of International Affairs, vol 72, no 3, pp. 287-303.
- Matera, M. 2019, ‘EU-Australia security cooperation: strengthening crisis management engagement’, Global Affairs, vol. 5, no.4-5, pp. 531-537.
- Matera, M. 2018, ‘Enhanced European Union-Australia security cooperation through crisis management’, Australian Journal of International Affairs, vol. 72, no. 3, pp. 224-239
Matera, M and Murray, P. 2019, ‘EU–Australia relations: recasting engagement in an era of uncertainty’, Global Affairs, vol. 5, issue 4-5, pp. 501-507. - Matera, M. and Murray, P. (eds) Special Issue: Australia and the European Union, Australian Journal of International Affairs, vol 72, no. 3, 2018.
- Matera, M. and Murray, P. 2018, ‘Australia’s relationship with the European Union: from conflict to cooperation’, Australian Journal of International Affairs, vol 72, no 3, pp. 179-193.
- Murray, P. 2019, ‘Reflections on EU–Australia engagement and prospects for the future’, Global Affairs, vol. 5, issue 4-5, pp. 509-515.
- Murray, P. 2019, ‘From Friction to Free Trade Negotiations: Australia's Engagement with the European Union’, The Australian Economic Review, vol. 52, no. 4, pp. 448–454.
- Murray, P. 2018, ‘Australia’s engagement with the European Union: Partnership choices and Critical Friends’, Australian Journal of International Affairs, vol 72, no 3, pp. 208-223.
- Murray, P. and Brianson, A. 2019, ‘Rethinking Britain’s Role in a Differentiated Europe – A Comparative Regionalism Perspective on the Consequences of Brexit’, Journal of Common Market Studies, JCMS 2019 vol 57. no. 6, pp.1431–1442.
- Murray, P. and Matera, M. (eds) 2019, The Future of Australia-EU Relations: Synergies and Shared Interests, Global Affairs, vol 5, issues 4-5.
The full list is available at on the publications page.
The project team consists of Professor Philomena Murray (Jean Monnet Chair ad personam) and Dr Margherita Matera, both from the School of Social and Political Sciences, Faculty of Arts at The University of Melbourne.
The project is funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Programme - Jean Monnet Activities (587060-EPP-1-2017-EU-EPPJMO-PROJECT) and The University of Melbourne.
Professor Philomena Murray
Philomena Murray is Professor in the School of Social and Political Sciences at The University of Melbourne. Between 2014 and 2017 she was Research Director on Regional Governance in the European Union (EU) Centre on Shared Complex Challenges. From 2000 to 2009 she was Director of the Contemporary Europe Research Centre, Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence. She holds Australia’s only Jean Monnet Chair ad personam awarded by the EU. She received a national Carrick (Australian Learning and Teaching Council) Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning for pioneering the first European Union curriculum in Australia and leadership in national and international curriculum development. She is an assessor for the Australian Research Council; the European Research Council and national schemes. A former diplomat, she has run training courses on the EU for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra.
She is a Visiting Research Fellow at the School of Business at Trinity College Dublin; Visiting Professor at the College of Europe, Bruges and Associate Research Fellow at UNU-CRIS (United Nations University - Comparative Regional Integration Studies), Bruges. She is Vice-Chair of the Board of the International Political Science Association’s Research Committee on European Unification. She is founder of the Contemporary European Studies Association of Australia.
She has won numerous EU grants. She led and coordinated the successful $1million joint Australian government/EU funded Coursework Masters Exchange Program in International Relations: A European-Australian Asia-Pacific Nexus (EAAPN), 2003-09. She currently holds a Jean Monnet teaching module entitled Comparative Regional Governance.
Her research interests are in comparative regional integration; EU-Asia relations; EU-Australia relations and EU governance and legitimacy.
Publications include:
- Longo, M. and Murray, P. (2015). Europe’s Legitimacy Crisis: From Causes to Solutions. Palgrave Pivot
- Brennan, L. and Murray, P. (2015). Drivers of Integration and Regionalism in Europe and Asia: Comparative Perspectives. Routledge
- Christiansen, T., Kirchner, E. and Murray, P. (eds.,) (2013). The Palgrave Handbook of EU-Asia Relations. Palgrave
- Murray, P. and Rees, N. (eds.,). “European and Asian Regionalism: Form and Function,” in International Politics 47, 3/4, May-July 2010
- Murray, P. (ed.,) (2008). Europe and Asia: Regions in Flux. Palgrave
- Murray, P. (2005). Australia and the European Superpower. Melbourne University Press
She is co-editing a special issue of the Australian Journal of International Affairs on EU-Australia Relations with Dr Margherita Matera.
Dr Margherita Matera
Margherita Matera’s research focuses on the EU’s security and defence cooperation, the EU as a foreign policy, security and crisis management actor, NATO and the transatlantic relationship, EU-Australia relations, and comparative regionalism. In 2015, she was the recipient of the Summer Research Scholar Program Grant from the European Union Center of Excellence and European Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh.
Margherita teaches on EU integration, comparative European politics and international relations. She has been a researcher on several EU funded grants. She is co-editing a special issue of the Australian Journal of International Affairs on EU-Australia Relations with Professor Philomena Murray.
She is member of the Contemporary European Studies Association of Australia’s Executive Committee and a member of the editorial board of Australian and New Zealand Journal of European Studies.
Project Steering Committee
- H.E. Justin Brown, Ambassador, Australian Embassy to the EU
- Mr Jason Collins, Chief Executive Officer, European Australian Business Council
- Dr Adrian Collins, Associate Director, International Research, Chancellery Research & Enterprise, The University of Melbourne
- Professor Karen Farquharson, Head of School, School of Social and Political Sciences, The University of Melbourne
- Professor John Howe, Director, Melbourne School of Government, The University of Melbourne
- Ms Shada Islam, Director Europe and Geopolitics, Friends of Europe
- Mr Christian Leffler, Deputy Secretary General, Economic and Global Issues, European External Actions Service
- Mr Tony Mahar, Chief Executive Officer, National Farmers Federation
- Ms Lucienne Manton, Assistant Secretary, EU and Western Europe Branch, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- Mr Sorin Moisă, Member of the European Parliament
- H.E. Michael Pulch, Ambassador, EU Delegation to Australia
- Dr Ben Wellings, Senior Lecturer, Monash University
Overview
At a time when the EU-Australia relationship has reached a new level of engagement, it is important to assess and critically examine the key challenges and opportunities facing this engagement, especially in light such developments as Brexit, the shifting focus of the US under President Donald Trump, rising regional and international instability and conflict.
The project will assess:
- The ambition and drive to liberalise markets, to negotiate free trade agreements and to achieve enhanced competitiveness within national and regional economies
- The need to understand ideational factors and values in the relationship; the implications of Brexit for EU-Australia, EU-UK and UK-Australia relations
- The search for multilateral and regional approaches to global challenges such as terrorism; climate change; refugee flows; energy security; food security; natural disasters; pandemics and the need for crisis-management mechanisms
- The search for progress towards a consolidated bilateral cooperation between the EU and Australia
- The need for a comprehensive analysis of the Framework Agreement, and how that Framework Agreement will shape the contours of the future relationship
- How the EU-Australia relationship can be utilised within the Asia-Pacific/Indo-Pacific region to strengthen the position of both the EU and Australia within that region, and to develop collaborative solutions to shared concerns
- Prospects for future cooperation and increased mutual understanding of both ideational challenges and policy strategies
The final report for the project is now available. Download Australia's Relationship with the European Union: From Tensions to New Paradigms dissemination report (650kb pdf).
Publications on EU-Australia relations
Special issue
- Matera, M. and Murray, P. (eds.,) 2018, 'Special Issue: Australia and the European Union', Australian Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 72, No. 3, 2018
Book chapters
- Allison-Reumann, L., Matera, M. and Murray, P. (forthcoming 2020), "Differentiated disintegration and third countries: the implications of Brexit for relations between the EU, the UK and Australia" in S. Gänzle, B. Leruth and J. Trondal (eds.,) What future for European integration? Differentiated (dis)integration in light of Brexit, Routledge
- Murray, P. 2018, "EU, ASEAN and ASEM: 'co-regionalism' in action", in Friends of Europe, My ASEM Wishlist. How Asia and Europe should really be Working Together, Brussels, Friends of Europe, pp. 21-23.
- Murray, P. 2018, "EU-Australia FTA: From Trade Tensions to Fruitful Engagement", in Australian Institute of International Affairs, The EU and Australia: Towards a New Era, Canberra, Australian Institute of International Affairs/EU-Australia Leadership Forum, November 2018, pp. 45-48.
- Murray, P. 2016, "Towards a strengthened EU strategy towards Australia: sharing values; respecting difference, consolidating policy depth," in Gippner, O. (ed.,) Changing Waters: Towards a new EU Asia strategy, LSE IDEAS, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, pp. 19-27
- Benvenuti, A. and Murray P. 2013, "EU-Australia relations," in Christiansen T., Kirchner E. and Murray P. (eds.,) The Palgrave Handbook of EU-Asia Relations, Basingstoke: Palgrave, pp. 603-617
- Murray, P. 2010, "Australia in ASEM - Engagement and Expectations," in Yeo, L.H. and Hofmeister, W. (eds.,) The Asia-Europe Meeting: Engagement, Enlargement and Expectations. Singapore: EU Centre and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, pp. 52-78
Journal articles
- Beeson, M. and Murray, P. (forthcoming, 2019), "Testing Times for Regionalism: Coping with great power rivalry in the Asia-Pacific", Asian Studies Review, Vol. 43, No. 4.
- Brianson, A., Murray, P. (forthcoming, 2019), "Rethinking Britain’s Role in a Differentiated Europe - A Comparative Regionalism Perspective on the Consequences of Brexit," Journal of Common Market Studies.
- Murray, P. (forthcoming, 2019), "Managing Security: Reimagining ASEAN’s regional role", Asian Studies Review, Vol. 43, No. 4.
- Allison-Reumann, L., Matera, M. and Murray, P. 2018, "Assessing Australia's options in the context of Brexit: engaging with the UK and the EU," in Australian Journal of International Affairs Vol. 72, No. 3, pp. 287-303
- Matera, M. and Murray, P. 2018, "Australia’s relationship with the European Union: from conflict to cooperation," in Australian Journal of International Affairs Vol. 72, No. 3, pp. 179-193
- Matera, M. 2018, "Enhanced European Union-Australia security cooperation through crisis management," in Australian Journal of International Affairs Vol. 72, No. 3, pp. 224-239
- Murray, P. 2018, "Australia's engagement with the European Union: Partnership choices and Critical Friends," in Australian Journal of International Affairs Vol. 72, No. 3, pp. 208-233
- Murray, P. 2016, "EU-Australia Relations: a strategic partnership in all but name?" in Cambridge Review of International Affairs 29, 1, pp. 171-191
- Murray, P. and A. Benvenuti, A. 2014, "EU-Australia Relations at half a century: Reassessing a Troubled Relationship," in Australian Journal of Politics and History 60, 3, pp. 431-448
- Murray P. 2012, "European Studies and Research in Australia - bridging history and geography," in European Political Science 11, 3, pp. 298-313
- Murray P. and Zolin B. 2012, "Australia and the EU: conflict, competition or engagement in agricultural and agrifood trade?" in Australian Journal of International Affairs 66, 2, pp. 103-122
Policy reports
- Murray, P. and Matera, M. 2019. Australia and the European Union: Towards Deeper Engagement. October, The University of Melbourne.
- Murray, P. and Matera, M. 2019, Australia and the European Union: Trends and Current Synergies, Melbourne, May
Short articles and commentaries
- Murray, P., "Negotiating trade post-Brexit," Pursuit, 2 July 2019.
- Murray, P., "The externalisation of refugee policies in Australia and Europe: The need for a comparative interdisciplinary approach" Blog of the The Comparative Network on Refugee Externalisation Policies (CONREP), 12 June 2019
- Allison-Reumann, L. Matera, M. and Murray. P., "The Impact of Brexit on Australia's Trading Relations with the EU," LSE European Politics and Policy, 28 May 2019.
- Murray, P. and Matera, M., "Theresa May and Brexit Fatigue," Australian Outlook, 29 March 2019.
- Murray, P., "Nine days and counting: what options does the UK have before the Brexit deadline?" The Conversation, 20 March 2019
- Murray, P., "Interview with Daniel Flitton, Brexit barneys and three big questions", Sydney, Lowy Institute, 16 January 2019.
- Matera, M. "Enhanced EU-Australia Security Cooperation through Crisis Management," Australian Outlook, 13 August 2018
- Allison-Reumann, L., Matera, M. Murray, P., "Australia's options in the context of Brexit", Australian Outlook, 11 July 2018.
- Murray, P. "EU-Australia FTA: From Trade Tensions to Fruitful Engagement’," Australian Outlook, 15 June 2018
- Murray P. and Matera M. "EU and Australia: From Conflict to Cooperation," Australian Outlook, 29 May 2018
- Allison-Reumann, L. Matera, M. and Murray, P., "Brexit seen from Australia: pragmatism should trump nostalgia," Europe's World, 25 April 2017
- Matera, M. Allison-Reumann, L. and Murray, P., "Keeping Brexit in Perspective for Australia," The Diplomat, 21 April 2017
- Matera, M. and Murray, P., "Brexit and Australia: the way forward," Pursuit, 2 July 2016
- Murray, P., "Brexit. Over and Out," Pursuit, 25 June 2016
- Murray P. and Tubakovic, T. "Brexit: the challenge for Theresa May," Pursuit, 12 July 2016
- Walter, A., Sullivan, H., and Murray, P., "The Brexit Shock. What does it mean for Australia?" Election Watch, 2016
Edited volume
Matera, M and Murray, P. eds., 2019, EU-Australia Relations: Synergies and Shared Concerns, The University of Melbourne.
Submissions and presentations to Parliament
- Murray, P. 2017, Brexit: Unexpected Outcomes and Implications for the UK and Australia, Australasian Study of Parliament Group Victorian Chapter, Parliament of Victoria, Melbourne, 22 August
- Murray, P. and Matera, M. 2017, Presentation to Public Hearing for the Inquiry into Australia's Trade and Investment Relationship with the United Kingdom, Department of the House of Representatives, Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, Trade Sub-Committee, Victorian Parliamentary Offices, Melbourne, 4 July
- Murray, P. Allison-Reumann, L., and Matera, M. 2017, Submission to the Inquiry into Australia's trade and investment relationship with the United Kingdom, Department of the House of Representatives, Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, Trade Sub-Committee, 27 March
Podcast
Davis G., Daley, J. and Murray, P. 2016, "Swimming in a sea of bureaucracy," Pursuit, The Policy Shop podcast, The University of Melbourne, 20 June
News
Events
Contact us
Professor Philomena Murray
Phone: +61 3 8344 5151
Email: pbmurray@unimelb.edu.au
Twitter: @pbmurray1
Dr Margherita Matera
Email: m.matera@unimelb.edu.au
Twitter: @margheritmatera
Useful links
- Jean Monnet Activities
- Delegation of the European Union to Australia
- Delegation of the European Union to Australia (2013), Celebrating 50 years: EU-Australia, Canberra (9.7Mb pdf)
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
- DFAT, European Union brief. Australia's relations with the European Union
- DFAT, Australia-European Union Free Trade Agreement
- The University of Melbourne Baillieu Library European Union information sources
- European External Actions Service, Australia and the EU
- European Commission, Australia
This project assesses relations between Australia and the EU and the opportunity for this engagement to further develop around a range of policies and forums.