Maria Tripodi, the Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, received Tim Ayres, the Australian Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, at the Farnesina (the Italian Ministery of Foreign Affairs).
The Undersecretary explained to her interlocutor how Italy looks at Australia as a partner and a key player in the Indo-Pacific region, one of the main protector of the rule of law, freedom of navigation, free trade and sustainable infrastructural development. They discussed about the wide-ranging and dynamic bilateral relations, favored by the presence of over 1 million well-integrated Italian-descendants.
Tripodi then expressed her hope for a rapid conclusion of the negotiations for the EU-Australia free trade agreement, which will further benefit of our trade. She also stressed Italy’s desire to achieve a good result on geographical indications which could guarantees full protection for almost all of them.
“We need to identify acceptable solutions to the conflicts on specific geographical indications –a sensitive topic for Italy- and the previous qualified uses in the Australian territory, in particular in regards to Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, Prosecco and Grappa, in order to ensure a real improvement of the current situation.” – said the Undersecretary – “All of this is essential to protect our iconic agri-food products and fight the phenomenon known as Italian sounding.”
“I am convinced that a balanced outcome of the negotiation of the agreement will allow the creation of a solid and ambitious framework for a significant development of our trade in goods and services and will offer great opportunities for our business communities.” – concluded Tripodi.
