Fiji ondertekent handels- en ontwikkelingsovereenkomst met Europese Unie (en)

Fiji has signed today an interim Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU. The agreement focuses on trade in goods and provides duty free - quota free access for all products from Fiji to the EU market. It also aims to deepen cooperation in areas such as animal and plant health as well as technical standards.

The interim Economic Partnership Agreement was initialled in November 2007 by Fiji and Papua New Guinea which represent the vast majority of the region's exports to the EU. The agreement has been provisionally implemented by the EU since 1 January 2008. Papua New Guinea signed it in July 2009.

Under the agreement all imports from Fiji and Papua New Guinea have duty free quota free access to the European market. Fiji will remove customs duties on 87% of their imports from the EU over the next 15 years and Papua New Guinea liberalises 88 % in the first year.

The African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and the EU opted in the Cotonou Agreement in 2000 for a more ambitious trade and development relationship. The interim EPA is a stepping stone to a future comprehensive agreement with all ACP countries in the Pacific region. This would cover not just trade in goods, but also trade-related rules and cooperation in a more comprehensive way so as to promote ACP trade and investment.

Background

Total trade between the EU and Pacific ACP countries in 2008 was around €1 billion. The most important Pacific exports to the EU are animal and vegetable oils, sugar, coffee, tea and spices and copper. The EU's main exports are mechanical machinery, electrical machinery, vehicles and oil. The EU is an important trading partner of Fiji and Papua New Guinea, who together represent 83% of all EU - Pacific trade.

The Pacific ACP region includes 14 countries. The Least Developed Countries of the Pacific include Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. The Cook Islands, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga have developing country status. Another ACP country, Timor Leste, has observer status in the EPA negotiations.