EU seeks to sign trade pact with New Zealand before October

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Friday that he was aiming to clinch a trade deal with New Zealand this year. "I'm of the opinion that we should do everything possible to conclude a trade agreement between New Zealand and the European Union in the course of this year," Juncker told a news conference after a meeting with New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. "I'd like to conclude this deal before the end of the mandate of my Commission," which ends in October, Juncker added. Talks for a trade deal started in May.