The President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese met on 21 September in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.
Presidents Costa and von der Leyen and Prime Minister Albanese reviewed the progress made in deepening cooperation across many fields since President von der Leyen’s visit to Australia in March 2026:
- They welcomed the conclusion of negotiations on a comprehensive, ambitious, balanced and commercially meaningful Free Trade Agreement and looked forward to its signature as soon as possible.
- They welcomed the progress made towards Australia’s association to the Horizon Europe Programme for the year 2027.
- They reflected on implementation of the EU-Australia Security and Defence Partnership, noting enhanced dialogue and cooperation on hybrid and cyber threats, foreign information manipulation and interference, maritime security and crisis management.
- They discussed EU-Australia cooperation on critical raw materials, ahead of the Team Europe business mission to Australia in October 2026.
- The three Leaders also updated each other on their respective actions to protect young people from dangers associated with social media.
Presidents Costa and von der Leyen and Prime Minister Albanese underscored the value of the EU and Australia’s alignment on key geopolitical developments and in supporting an effective multilateral system. They committed to work together to uphold the UN Charter and international law and advance peace and security and sustainable development.
They discussed a number of current geopolitical issues, including the need to continue to support Ukraine in all areas, the situation in the Middle East and Iran, as well as relations with China and the Pacific. Presidents Costa and von der Leyen appreciated Australia’s role as President of Negotiations for the next UN Climate Conference (UNFCC COP 31)
They agreed to continue deepening cooperation on economic security including addressing economic coercion, non-market policies and practices and in the safeguarding, managing risks and governance of critical and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. Finally, they underlined the value of cooperation between the EU and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
They agreed to remain in close contact with a view to explore the potential for further strengthening and deepening of EU-Australia relations.
