Australia and the EU: Bilateral Perspectives on Global Governance (OzEUGG)

The EU and Australia are active actors in global governance. In a globalised world that is becoming increasingly divided along the fault lines of fundamental values, they are engaged with similar challenges, such as: rising protectionism and decline of the multilateral trading system; climate change; human rights violations; migration and gender equality; the global pandemic. Australia and the EU are committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, which have been shaping the course of the global social, ecological and economic agenda until 2030. The EU and Australia also share geopolitical and geo-economic interests in the Indo-Pacific. 

The global development agenda and multilateral rules-based order have been deeply affected by a shifting geopolitical landscape. The worldwide crises (caused by climate change, invasion of Ukraine, pandemic) continue to undermine our economies and societies, both in the EU and Australia, posing further challenges for multilateralism, global equity and migration. 

The EU and Australia are currently negotiating a Free Trade Agreement, which will provide a framework for regulatory cooperation. This cooperation includes not only trade issues but also a broader sustainability agenda, encompassing climate change, gender, environment, and labour issues. Bilateral cooperation also provides a platform for enhanced cooperation on issues of global governance. Trade cooperation is thus utilised for meeting a number of ‘non-trade’ governance goals.

Importantly, this cooperation will be long-term and will have a real impact on Australian society. In light of this, there is a need to prepare a new generation of University students (particularly in the disciplines of law, political science, economics, business) to understand the nature and the scope of the cooperation with the EU on global issues, and how this cooperation is likely to affect domestic regulation and policies. This Module examines and compares regulatory approaches of Australia and the EU to key global issues, their bilateral cooperation on these issues, and their engagement as global actors in multilateral governance.