Trade Minister, Mark Vaile, said today the EU offered lucrative opportunities for Australian exporters. Australia's merchandise exports to the EU had grown by 16 per cent to A$14 billion in 2000-2001 and opportunities in Europe would continue to develop as the Euro was introduced, the EU expanded in membership and the market integrated further.

Launching the Export EU handbook produced by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Vaile said the success stories of Australian wine, fast ferries, engineering technology, seeds and gourmet biscuits demonstrated that there were diverse opportunities for Australian exporters who tried this market.

"Today I am launching a book which will greatly assist Australians wanting to export to the European Union market," Mr Vaile said.  "Export EU explains the operating environment in the EU and provides explanations of some of the technicalities of dealing with the EU."

The Trade Minister said the book was being released at an opportune time as the EU was set to expand in population and area.  The book provided an overview of the institutional and trade policy environment in the EU and was a useful reference on many of the key terms and processes that exporters might encounter in doing business in the EU market.

"'Export EU will complement other existing sources of information on markets in Europe and will provide a useful additional resource to assist potential exporters orient themselves in the EU marketplace," Mr Vaile said.

Copies of the publication are available from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Market Information and Analysis Unit, ph 02 6261 3114, or e-mail statssection@dfat.gov.au.

• Download handbook in Adobe PDF format