Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Wednesday that he had reached an agreement with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa to begin negotiations on a Security and Defense Partnership between Australia and the European Union.
The agreement was made on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada. According to Albanese, the planned partnership will serve as a framework for expanding cooperation in key areas such as the defense industry, cybersecurity, and counter-terrorism efforts. “Australia is deepening our trade, security and defense ties with the EU,” he said on X.
In addition to the defense partnership, the leaders agreed to resume negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement aimed at boosting economic opportunities and job creation in both regions. Albanese also held talks with members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s senior economic team to explore ways to further strengthen the Australia–U.S. economic partnership.
