ABSTRACT
The implications of the Eurozone crisis on the European Union (EU) foreign policy capabilities are in the first instance quite obvious when considering economic issues. Trade in the first instance may not seem to be an important aspect of EU Australia cooperation given past disputes over the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the asymmetrical nature of economic relations. As the Eurozone crisis came to be seen as distinct from the global financial crisis, the Australian government's explicit criticism of the EU would become increasingly evident. The shift from criticism of the EU in the context of the global financial crisis to criticising the EU in isolation has been a gradual process. A feature of Australian criticism not impacting on the broader bilateral relationship may be the fact that there has been a clear distinction made between political rhetoric and cooperation between EU and Australian officials.
