Trade Minister David Parker has been to France for an OECD meeting, for WTO talks and for discussions in France and Germany on the pending EU/NZ FTA.

Meanwhile, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström will visit NZ on June 20 to formally launch the negotiations with Parker. And officials from the EU and NZ will meet to set the agenda for a formal detailed meeting in Brussels in July.

Agriculture, in particular reduced tariffs on dairy products, will be a high priority for the NZ negotiators.

Parker says NZ and the EU are close and natural partners on almost every global issue.