Pacific Islands / Pacific Forum
Negotiations for possible movement of labour from the Pacific to Europe is part of discussions under the proposed Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) currently underway.
Pacific countries that are members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group have proposed an all embracing trade agreement with the European Union (EU) under the proposed Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that will come into force in 2008.
This UNDP paper is divided into four main parts. Parts I, II and III examine the
phenomenon of FTA proliferation and the underlying forces and
motivations of key players at work. Part IV builds on the analysis to
address the impact of the FTA explosion on human development policy
choices in key areas such as agriculture, textiles, rules of origin,
intellectual property, trade in services, and investment.
Leaders of Pacific island countries said they were confident of meeting the end-of-2007 deadline for reaching agreement with the European Union on a preferential trade deal despite slow progress in negotiations.
Continued delay by Pacific Island countries to negotiate a successful Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) could result in the region missing out in millions of European Union (EU) funds.
Pacific Islands Forum countries have decided it is now time to move beyond their existing SPARTECA agreement with Australia and New Zealand, according to reports from Nadi, Fiji, on Friday.
"The current EPA negotiations are a game of Russian roulette where the casualties will be the people of the Pacific Islands," said Professor Jane Kelsey at the release of A People’s Guide to the Pacific’s Economic Partnership Agreement in Suva today.
Governments within the Asia/Pacific region that are rabid free traders have embarked on a rescue mission for the WTO and APEC through regional and bilateral agreements that are also designed to be WTO-plus.
Non-Governmental Organisation’s and regional civil society organizations are concerned that not enough thought is being given to trade agreements, says coordinator Stanley Simpson.
The European Union will open talks this week to try to reach an economic agreement with the Pacific region, a big producer of sugar, the bloc’s executive said on Wednesday.
Statement of civil society organizations from workshop on negotiations for an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the Pacific ACP states and the European Union, 7 September 2004, Suva.
It has been a relatively easy matter for Pacific Islands Country (PIC)
governments to sign regional trade agreements such as PICTA (Pacific Island
Countries Trade Agreement - excluding Australia and New Zealand) and PACER (Pacific Agreement for Closer Economic Relations - including Australia and NZ.)
Nadi - There has not been enough public discussion on the creation of a Pacific free trade area, Fiji interest groups said yesterday.
The issue was led by Stanley Simpson, of the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG).
Recent experience with the implementation the Melanesian Spearhead Group
(MSG) Free Trade Area Agreement effectively illustrates how Pacific
leaders sign regional and international agreements without adequate consultation and assessment at national and local level.
