The free-trade deal with the EU is about safeguarding Australian and European interests in a world shocked by the “return of big powers”, one of the bloc’s top-ranking officials has said, as the Coalition calls on the Albanese government to renegotiate.

Stephane Sejourne has transitioned from French President Emmanuel Macron’s inner political circle into one of the most powerful policy shapers in Brussels.

As the European Commission’s executive vice-president for prosperity and industrial strategy, he steers decisions for the 450 million consumers and producers that make up Europe’s $30 trillion single market.

That includes supporting a bold free-trade agenda in the face of US President Donald Trump’s global tariff assault.

“I really believe in the club of those who share values, including democracy, peaceful resolution of conflict and the international rule of law,” Mr Sejourne told NewsWire in an exclusive interview.

“These free trade agreements are strategic and an instrument for diversification and for greater strategic autonomy.”

The free-trade push has closed, at least on paper, six deals, including with India and the South American trading bloc MERCOSUR.

The agreements with India and MERCOSUR alone cover almost 2.2 billion people and more than a quarter of world economic activity.

Mr Sejourne said the deal with Canberra – worth some $10bn a year to Australia – is “a clear win-win”.

“It’s good for business but it really sends a strong political signal to the rest of the world,” he said, adding that “too often we forget the strategic dimension of such agreements”.

“We sometimes get lost in the figures, in the sectors – who’s winning, who’s losing.“ “But actually, this is a strategic political agreement that’s about the role of Australia in the world and the role of Europe in the world.” Elements of the Coalition oppose the deal, which scraps 98 per cent of tariffs on Australian goods entering the EU. But the Nationals argue the agreement fails beef and lamb producers while exposing Australia to penalties if it falls short of climate action commitments. Trade Minister Don Farrell last week accepted negotiators could not secure everything red meat producers wanted, but that his “job is to represent the national interest, not just one section of the Australian economy”. Most other sectors have called on the Coalition to back the deal, including the peak body for vegetable growers. “Australian vegetable growers need every market opportunity they can get right now, and the European FTA is one of those rare, and possibly never-to-be-repeated, opportunities,” AUSVEG chief executive Michael Coote said. “Just like with the immigration debate, a populist stampede to stop this free-trade agreement risks severe collateral damage to Australian vegetable growers and our national food security.” ‘Sovereign choice for Australia’ The economic rationale driving the EU’s free-trade push is simple: Europe is dependent on the US as an export destination while heavily reliant on China for inputs, including critical minerals. With both countries flouting international trade rules, the EU is exposed and wants new friends. But Mr Sejourne’s concerns went beyond economics to defence dependency on the US. “Europe needs to look after its own security because, at the end of the day, the borders of Russia are not just with Ukraine but the rest of Europe,” he said. Mr Trump’s decision to import just 10 days’ worth of diesel from Russia amid record-high fuel prices in the US was broadly seen as a betrayal of years of collective sanctions against Moscow for invading Ukraine. Market analysts say it will not make a difference to prices. That decision was followed by allegations the US withheld intelligence from Ukraine, impaired its access to a SpaceX-owned, military-grade satellite network, and by Mr Trump’s call for “Ukraine to get a new president”. Mr Sejourne said US support for Ukraine had been inconsistent under the Trump administration, but suggested the latest rockiness was spurred by domestic political pressure mounting on the White House. “Before we form judgement, I think we need to wait until after the US midterm elections to see how stable the support is,” he said. Regardless, he added that Europe needs “more strategic allies”. Asked if Australia should follow suit, he refused to say. “Let me be very clear: this is a sovereign choice for Australia,” he said. “I can give you a clear line on what Europe’s sovereign choices are in terms of defence, but I am absolutely not going to give a view on Australia’s.” However, he did say Australia and Europe have a “common interest in the Pacific” as it is home to French overseas territories. “It’s clear that we do need to work jointly with Australia to ensure a peaceful future for the Pacific region and on the basis of shared values,” Mr Sejourne said. ‘Consequences’ Russia has taken a greater interest in Australia’s backyard in recent years, trying to park nuclear-capable bombers in Indonesia and carrying out war games with China. The deepening defence relationship between Beijing and Moscow has only fuelled tensions in the region, prompting observers, including the Ukrainian government, to warn that what happens in Europe has direct consequences for the Pacific. China also offers Russia an economic lifeline and remains its biggest trading partner, with two-way trade at approximately $340bn. It is almost $250bn more than Russia’s second-biggest trading partner, India. But Russia only represents around 3 per cent of China’s total trade, whereas the EU accounts for up to 14 per cent at $1.2 trillion. NewsWire put to Mr Sejourne that Europe could do more to pressure the Russian economy by pressuring China. He did not confirm that strategy was being considered, but said that just as it is “strategic for China to have a relationship with Russia, it’s also strategic for Europe to show China that its choice of relationships have consequences, particularly as regards the war in Ukraine”.