Australia and the European Union (EU) this year celebrate 50 years of formal diplomatic relations. Sir Edwin McCarthy, Australian public servant, trade negotiator and diplomat, took up his position as the first Australian Ambassador to the European Economic Community in March 1962.

The Delegation of the Commission of the European Communities to Australia was established in 1981 and formally opened during the visit by European Community President Gaston Thorn in 1982.

Fifty years on from Sir Edwin McCarthy’s appointment, Australia and the EU enjoy a constructive and substantial bilateral relationship built on a shared commitment to freedom and democratic values and a like-minded approach to a broad range of international issues.