Fiji Participates In The Pacific ACP Trade Officials Meeting In Suva

The Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Dr. Raijeli Taga and the Trade Officials participated in the Pacific ACP Trade Officials Meeting (PACTOM) held at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) in Suva on 4 June 2026. The meeting brought together Members to discuss Pacific–European Union (EU) trade and development cooperation.
The meeting was also attended by Senior Officials and representatives from the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

Participants also included representatives from agencies of the Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific (CROP), development partners, technical agencies, and observers, reflecting the broad regional and international engagement in Pacific trade cooperation.

The meeting covered key trade and development issues of importance to Pacific ACP member states, including updates on major regional trade programmes and new partnership opportunities.
Discussions focused on the proposed Pacific Trade and Sustainable Development (Pac-TSD) Programme, which is expected to succeed the current support to the Strengthening Pacific Intra–Regional and International Trade (SPIRIT) Project. Members exchanged views on key design elements, including implementation arrangements, priority areas of support, and opportunities to further strengthen trade-related capacity building. Priority themes included support for the interim Economic Partnership Agreement (iEPA) accession and implementation, support to meet EU’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), export development initiatives, and enhanced engagement through the Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) Europe. The importance of Pacific-led implementation and sustained development support was widely emphasised.

Officials also considered a proposal to commission a feasibility and cost-benefit assessment of a potential Pacific–United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). There was broad agreement on the value of undertaking a comprehensive analytical study to better understand potential trade, development, and sectoral opportunities prior to any further consideration of negotiations.

The meeting reviewed progress under the SPIRIT Project, funded by the European Union, and acknowledged its contribution to strengthening regional trade policy, trade facilitation, e-commerce development, standards and quality infrastructure, customs modernisation, and support for iEPA implementation. Updates were also provided on the Safe Agriculture Trade Facilitation through Economic Integration in the Pacific (SAFE Pacific) Project, an EU-supported initiative focused on strengthening regional capacity in areas including kava development and quality infrastructure.

Furthermore, Fiji presented a country paper proposing the establishment of the Pacific Island Cooperatives Network (PICON). The proposal envisages PICON as a dedicated regional platform for cooperative collaboration and advocacy under the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, building on the outcomes of the Pacific Regional Dialogue on Cooperatives held in Nadi in January 2026.
The meeting reinforced a shared commitment to strengthening Pacific–EU trade cooperation, enhancing export competitiveness, deepening regional integration, mobilising development support, and advancing opportunities for sustainable and inclusive economic growth across the region.