- Rt Hon Christopher Luxon
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has held high-level talks with European Union leaders in Brussels, to underline the close ties between New Zealand and the EU.
"The European Union is one of New Zealand's most trusted partners," Mr Luxon says.
"This is something that was emphasised in my meetings with both EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President António Costa.
"President von der Leyen and I discussed our commitment to the international rules-based system - something that's more important than ever given the pressure on global security and prosperity.
"We also talked about opportunities to ramp up two-way trade under the EU-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement.
"New Zealand's goods exports to the high-value EU market have already grown by more than $1 billion, a 25 percent increase since last year. But we know there is still scope to significantly increase this further with our premium New Zealand products."
New Zealand and the EU are also collaborating on research, science and innovation through Horizon Europe, the world's largest research funding programme.
"Our researchers are working together on 17 projects across a range of sectors, from hydrogen storage to bioprinting. By joining forces, we are driving scientific progress and innovation that delivers economic benefit for both our regions," Mr Luxon says.
While in Belgium, Mr Luxon also visited New Zealand memorials and other significant sites across Flanders Fields, to pay respect to the thousands of Kiwi soldiers who served on the Western Front during World War I.
He now travels to the Netherlands where he will meet with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof before attending the NATO Summit in The Hague.
A joint readout of the meeting is attached.
