The office, which will be sustained by a $1.8 million State Government investment over the next four years, will support South Austraila’s trade and investment across mainland Europe.

It follows the establishment of South Australian trade offices in Shanghai, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and the USA, in addition to the Agent General’s office in London which has supported South Australian trade since 1859.

Minister for Trade and Investment Stephen Patterson said the new office will help build on the state’s trade with the EU, which is worth more than $700 million a year.

“In a post-Brexit trade landscape, it’s crucial that South Australia has a continued presence in the UK through the office of the Agent-General as well as a strong presence in the European Union through the new Paris office,” Patterson said.

“This will grow our capacity to reach emerging markets in Europe by focusing on two-way trade and investment, and by driving services exports in key sectors for South Australia like hi-tech, creative industries, renewable energy, and space and defence.”

Patterson added that the State Government anticipates further trade opportunities to come through a national free trade agreement with the EU and Australia’s in-principle trade deal with the UK.

The Weatherill Government opened a trade office in Paris in 2017, touting it then as the first state to open such a permanent presence in France.

However, within weeks the chosen trade representative was stood down and the Paris operations were then essentially operated out of the South Australian Agent-General’s office in London.