European Union

Our relationship with the EU

The EU is an important partner for New Zealand. We share a deep commitment to democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights, and a sense of international citizenship. Our shared interests see us working together on many global issues including international security, climate change, and development in the Pacific.

The 27 EU Member States are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.

The EU-New Zealand relationship is reinforced by the Partnership Agreement on Relations and Cooperation (PARC). The PARC meets annually and is the vehicle for progressing close cooperation between the EU and New Zealand across a wide range of interests from health to digital and humanitarian assistance to fisheries.

The EU is our most significant science and innovation relationship and more than half of New Zealand’s researchers have an active collaboration with a European partner. There are particularly strong links with Germany, and France. Our science and innovation relationship with the EU is supported by our association to Pillar 2 of Horizon Europe, the world's largest multilateral research and innovation programme. This means that New Zealand-based researchers and organisations can join or lead Horizon Europe projects and receive funding on equal terms with their European counterparts.

The EU and several of its Member States are important partners to the Pacific, providing development assistance to a range of sectors including climate change, renewable energy, biodiversity, economic growth, gender equality and regional integration.

Trade

New Zealand and European Union citizens are like-minded: we think that trade should build prosperity for all, support efforts on climate change, encourage sustainable development, help companies of all sizes to grow, and improve quality of life by delivering safe, high-quality products to consumers. 

New Zealand's free trade agreement with the European Union, one of the world's largest trading entities, entered into force on 1 May 2024. For more information, please see the EU – NZ FTA section of the website.

Information on New Zealand’s trade statistics with the European Union is available on the New Zealand Trade Dashboard(external link).

Embassies

• New Zealand is represented in the EU by the New Zealand Embassy to Belgium and Mission to the European Union
• The EU is represented in New Zealand by the Delegation of the European Union