Hungary’s foreign minister: EU must sign free trade deals with Australia, New Zealand before Brexit

The European Union must enter into talks with Australia and New Zealand on free trade deals with those countries and those agreements should be signed before the UK leaves the EU, Hungary’s foreign minister said in Paris on Thursday.

It would be a “nightmare” for Hungary if the EU failed to sign these agreements within the next two years while Britain, after quitting the bloc, signs deals with countries with which the EU does not have free trade deals in place, Péter Szijjártó told MTI after talks with Australia, New Zealand and Canada’s trade ministers Steven Ciobo, Todd McClay and Francois-Philippe Champagne.

“This would be the worst-case scenario for the EU’s economy,” Szijjártó said. The minister said both Australia and New Zealand were ready to start talks on a free trade deal with the EU immediately.

Hungary therefore urges the European Commission to request a mandate from the European Council to begin the talks, Szijjártó said.