TANPEAR Edited Publication

EU-Australia Relations: Synergies and Shared Concerns

Edited by Margherita Matera and Philomena Murray

The relationship between the European Union (EU) and Australia is at a critical phase at a stage when long-held assumptions about global norms of governance and trade are being questioned. Both the EU and Australia actively engage in global politics, across multilateral and regional bodies and forums. They are conducting their bilateral engagement at the same time that they are balancing their relationships with important international actors, such as China, the United States and Russia, and seeking to avoid taking sides in an era of Great Power rivalry. The EU and Australia regard each other as ‘like-minded’ and ‘natural partners, with a shared commitment to the rule of law, global norms and free and open markets’ (DFAT 2019). This edited volume brings together specialists working on a number of policy areas in the EU-Australia relationship. It examines synergies and shared concerns in engagement.  The aim of this volume is to provide a research-based analysis of EU–Australia relations across areas of convergence and divergence.

The Edited Volume is available for download by clicking here.

Table of Contents:

  • Introduction – Philomena Murray and Margherita Matera
  • Reflections on EU-Australia engagement and prospects for the future – Philomena Murray
  • Convergence of EU and Australian views on the International Trading System in the Twenty-First century – Richard Pomfret
  • The EU’s and Australia’s approaches to trade bilateralism: Discrepancies and synergies – Lachlan McKenzie and Evgeny Postnikov
  • EU-Australia security cooperation: strengthening crisis management engagement – Margherita Matera
  • Australia and the European Union promoting a normative, security agenda in the South Pacific Islands – Isaac Kfir
  • Cooperation beyond deterrence: The prospects for an EU-Australia rights-based approach to refugee protection in Southeast Asia – Tamara Tubakovic
  • Climate and energy: Divergent interests and approaches between Australia and the European Union – Nicholas Parry
  • After Brexit: Australia’s relations with the EU and the UK – Laura Allison-Reumann