Brussels, 08/02/07: The spokesperson from the Pacific negotiation team, Minister Kiel from Samoa, stated recently that the EPA negotiations with the Pacific group (PACP) have to take into consideration the unique needs and circumstances of the Pacific region. He also emphasised that PACP could not conclude negotiations due to the deadline and risk of ending up with a bad EPA, an outcome which he described as disastrous.

The Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) are trade negotiations between the European Union and the group of 79 countries from the African, Caribbean and Pacific Region (ACP). The ACP countries are divided in 6 regional groupings and the negotiations which started in 2002 have now entered into a particularly critical phase, with an onoing mid-term review and the scheduled deadline for completing negotiations by the end of 2007.

The Pacific ACP (PACP) region is composed of small island states spread across a large portion of the southern Pacific Ocean. The main trading partners of PACP countries are Australia and New Zealand (as well as the United States for some). The PACP countries have little trade with the European Union, except for Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.

The European Commission argues that regional integration will create larger markets for the ACP countries and stimulate growth and accelerate the integration of ACP countries in the world economy. However, many stakeholders have cautioned against this optimistic view on the relationship between EPAs and regional integration.

Click here to read the letter from Minister Kiel to Commissioner Mandelson.