Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for Trade, Shaheen Ali, has announced the country’s rejection of 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 lacking in flexibility and benefits, failing to sufficiently mitigate the associated risks and costs.
During the PACER Plus Plenary Session, Ali recounted that the negotiations for the agreement began in 2009, triggered by Fiji and Papua New Guinea’s initialing of the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union in 2008. Fiji joined the negotiations later, in 2014, following its suspension from the Forum.
Despite its late entry, Ali emphasized that Fiji made significant contributions to the negotiations, resulting in several flexibilities being integrated into the PACER Plus Agreement that may not have been included otherwise.
Additionally, Ali announced that Professor Chris Noonan from the University of Auckland would spearhead Fiji’s efforts to re-enter PACER Plus negotiations. He noted that Prof Noonan played a key role in the Fiji delegation during the discussions for the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, a trade agreement involving Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji.