ANU to train government and industry for EU trade talks

A European Union expert at ANU will train Australian public servants and businesses about how the European Union works, in the lead up to negotiations on a possible Australia-EU free trade agreement. Dr Annmarie Elijah from the ANU Centre for European Studies (CES) was awarded the Jean Monnet Project grant of $73,000 by the European Commission to conduct the training over 12 months starting in March 2017. "It's a first for the ANU," Dr Elijah said. "Not only does it squarely fit with my research into sub-national actors in trade, it also clearly builds on the work we do in the centre." "It's also a recognition that we enhance understanding of the EU, which is a complicated entity." Dr Elijah said it was vital that federal, state and territory public servants understood the EU ahead of the negotiations about a possible Australia-EU free trade agreement. "The EU does not operate like a normal government. These issues are topical. It became clear with the vote for Brexit that the EU is not easy for people to understand.