A free trade deal that New Zealand is negotiating with the European Union is likely to take at least a year to get approval from all the EU member states, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said. "The process is now that the European Commission will go through the mandating process - that's likely to take all of 2016 and probably most of 2017 to get through the 28 member states, but we're very hopeful for completion of the free trade agreement with Europe," Key said at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a visit to Berlin. Key met European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in late October to discuss issues ranging from customs to animal health issues, to broaden trade ties. Total trade in goods between the EU and New Zealand was 7.9 billion euros ($8.37 billion) in 2014, according to the European Commission. The EU is New Zealand's third largest trading partner after Australia and China. Securing a deal with the EU would probably give Wellington more access to the bloc's 500 million consumers.