Trade Trade

EU, New Zealand push to bridge last trade deal gaps ahead of French election

By Joanna Sopinska and Laurel Henning
  • 22 Oct 2021 06:53
  • 22 Oct 2021 06:53
Negotiators on the EU-New Zealand trade deal are straining to get it over the finishing line this year, MLex has learned, to avoid it being derailed by the French presidential election next April.

Both teams are in intense talks to bridge the remaining differences and prepare the ground for

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Joanna Sopinska

Senior Correspondent


Joanna covers trade in Brussels. Formerly trade editor of EU Trade Insights, she has many years' experience reporting on trade, investment policy and foreign affairs. Before that, she spent nine years at Europolitics news agency writing on trade, agriculture policy and foreign affairs. Before moving to Brussels in 2006, Joanna worked as an analyst at the Polish Institute of International Relations (PISM) in Warsaw.

Laurel Henning

Senior Correspondent


Laurel is a senior correspondent specializing in competition law, data privacy and security, in Australia and New Zealand. Laurel reports from Sydney on criminal-cartel legislation and white-collar crime, as well as competition and consumer lawsuits involving companies including Google, Meta Platforms and Apple. While at MLex Laurel has also reported boardroom disputes and shareholder campaigns agitating for changes to company strategy. Laurel joined MLex in 2013 and reported for five years on European energy and climate policies from Brussels. In that time, Laurel covered the regulation of emissions and technological developments pertaining to the energy sector within the EU, as well as the Paris agreement in 2015. A graduate of the University of Liverpool, Laurel studied English and French before beginning a career in journalism with MLex.

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