EU trade deal to get 'accelerator': PM

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is promising to accelerate a free-trade deal currently being negotiated with the European Union.

Scott Morrison and Angela Merkel

Scott Morrison has met with EU leaders at the G20 summit to fast-track free-trade negotiations. (AAP)

A major trade deal opening up European markets to Australian exporters will be accelerated in coming months.

Negotiations on the free-trade agreement are already under way, but Prime Minister Scott Morrison secured support from the European Union to speed up the process.

He met with EU leaders and the heads of major European countries at the G20 in Argentina over the weekend and raised the issue with them.

"We were able to agree the need to accelerate the development of the EU free trade agreement," Mr Morrison told reporters in Buenos Aires on Saturday local time.

"We're looking forward to that advancing promptly now in the months ahead."

Mr Morrison could not put a specific time frame on the deal, but promised a "very strong accelerator" to get it done.

Australia and the EU have been pursuing trade deals around the world, in part to fight against rising protectionism out of the United States and China.

Mr Morrison described the EU agreement as the "next premier league deal" after similar deals were done with China, Japan and South Korea.


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Source: AAP


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