EU and Australia sign free trade pact and announce a new defense partnership

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The European Union and Australia on Tuesday agreed on the final text of a free trade agreement, some two years after negotiations broke down over Australian demands for more red meat market access and complaints about Australian products labeled with traditionally European names such as prosecco.

The breakthrough comes as both the EU and Australia seek to diversify their trading networks and reduce their economic reliance on China and exposure to uncertain U.S. tariffs.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed the agreement at the Australian Parliament House after protracted negotiations that began in 2018. The leaders said the pact demonstrated that both sides benefitted from rules-based trade.

“Today we are telling an important story to a world that is deeply changing. A world where great powers are using tariffs as a leverage and supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited," von der Leyen told reporters.

"In our story, open rules based trade delivers positive some outcomes. Trust matters more than transactions,” she added.

Albanese said the context in which the agreement was reached was an important factor in allowing negotiations that collapsed in October 2023 to restart.

“This is both the European Union and Australia asserting that we believe in free and fair trade, that we understand that trade advances the prosperity of both trading entities who are involved, that it is in our interest to get this done,” Albanese said.

The leaders also announced a new defense partnership that will bring closer military cooperation and the start of negotiations toward Australia becoming an associate of the research and innovation funding program Horizon Europe.

Albanese said the defense partnership would provide a framework for the EU and Australia to cooperate on global challenges, marking as areas of collaboration defense industries, maritime security, cyber security, countering terrorism and combating hybrid threats such as disinformation.

“It shows our shared commitment to global peace and security, including reaffirming our steadfast support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion,” Albanese said.

Albanese said the pact also removed tariffs on key Australian exports including wine, seafood and horticulture.

The EU will open two tariff rate quotas of a total of 30,600 metric tons (33,731 U.S. tons) for Australian red meat, with 55% of that duty free.

Under the trade deal, Australian producers of prosecco, traditionally a sparkling wine from northern Italy, will be banned from using the name on exports 10 years after the pact takes effect.

A start date for the pact has not been announced.

The pact will also help the EU secure supplies of critical raw materials including lithium and tungsten.

Hazel Moir, an economist from the Australian National University’s Center for European Studies, said that both the Europeans and Australians were keen to reach a deal in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's push to impose global tariffs.

“What’s changed is all of Trump’s behavior on tariffs. So everyone got nervous and they wanted to do other things,” Moir said.

Moir said it was too soon predict the impact on bilateral trade, as the agreement's full text has not yet been released.

An EU free trade deal with four South American countries will begin on May 1 after more than a quarter-century of negotiations and new global economic uncertainty.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, center left, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese shake hands after an agreedment on the final text of a free trade agreement at Parliament House in Canberra, Tuesday, March 24, 2026, as EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic, left, and Australian Minister for Trade, Don Farrell, right, look on. (Lukas Coch/AAP Image via AP)

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, left, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese shake hands after signing a joint statement during a ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra, Tuesday, March 24, 2026. (Lukas Coch/AAP Image via AP)

DENVER (AP) — A Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a pedestrian on the runway of the Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.

The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday," the airport's official X account wrote.

A spokesperson for the airport said the pedestrian, who jumped a perimeter fence, has died. They said the unidentified person was hit two minutes after entering the airport. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.

“We're stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”

The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.”

The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now" before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”

Frontier Airlines said in a statement flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the pedestrian.

“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”

Passengers were then evacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal. The airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.

Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted. It is expected to open later today.

The pedestrian death came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport. In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident nor the name of the employee.

“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. "We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.”

FILE - A Frontier Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International airport on Nov. 25, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)