British News Agency

Prime Minister Luxon said he had a meeting with EC President von der Leyen.

He noted that the friendship between New Zealand and the European Union is not only strong but growing: “Although only a year has passed since our Free Trade Agreement, we are already seeing more jobs and higher wages for our people.”

Luxon stated that New Zealand is the first non-European partner to join Horizon Europe, because “great ideas know no borders.”

“And finally, we are working on our shared security. Europe and the Indo-Pacific are two regions facing similar challenges. Current times require cooperation for global security. So let us deepen and strengthen our security partnership,” he said.

“We can also do much more on economic security and build strong supply chains between us. Much has been achieved, but there is still much to do.”