Official Opening of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence in International Trade & Global Affairs

Guest speaker Senator the Honourable Simon Birmingham, Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment and Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate, gave an address on Australia’s relations with the EU and current trade policy challenges.

The opening ceremony of the University of Adelaide’s Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence in International Trade and Global Affairs was held on 25th February 2019. 

Richard Pomfret, Jean Monnet Chair in the Economics of European Integration, outlined the goals of the Centre. Through its Erasmus+ program of competitive grants, the European Commission will be co-funding the Centre and an international research network on trade and investment in services that together bring over one million dollars in funding to the University of Adelaide.

The ceremony also featured the SA launch of the book Potential Benefits of an Australia-EU Free Trade Agreement: Key Issues and Options, edited by Jane Drake-Brockman and Patrick Messerlin.  To download your free copy, please visit https://www.adelaide.edu.au/press/titles/eu-trade/ 

The presentations were followed by Q & A session between the speakers and audience.

The event was covered by the ABC, Channel 9 and other media.  Following the Q&A, Senator Birmingham gave a doorstop interview to the media.