Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for Trade, Shaheen Ali, announced that the country did not endorse the PACER Plus Agreement, which was signed by Pacific Island Leaders with Australia and New Zealand in Tonga in 2017. Ali explained that Fiji found the agreement insufficient in providing the necessary flexibility and advantages to balance out potential risks and costs.
During the PACER Plus Plenary Session, Ali mentioned that the negotiations for PACER Plus commenced in 2009, following the 2008 initialing of the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU by Fiji and Papua New Guinea. He noted that despite Fiji facing a suspension from the Forum, the nation joined negotiations in 2014.
Ali emphasized Fiji’s positive contributions to the negotiations, stating that the inclusion of certain flexibilities in PACER Plus is largely due to Fiji’s participation in the discussions.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Trade announced that Professor Chris Noonan from the University of Auckland will lead Fiji’s efforts to re-enter PACER Plus. Ali highlighted that Prof Noonan played a crucial role in the Fiji team during the negotiations of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), which also includes Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji.