The Fijian Government is committed towards ensuring that the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus negotiations continue to reflect a development agreement rather than a traditional one as unanimously agreed to by all Parties to PACER Plus.
Opening the 13th inter – sessional meeting on PACER Plus at the Tanoa International Hotel in Nadi today, Fijian Trade Minister Hon. Faiyaz Siddiq Koya says Fiji supported the common goals of the region to enhance trade and development for the region.
PACER Plus needs to be a development agreement which would give pacific island countries long-term improved market access, preserving policy space, especially the right to regulate for development, creating employment, uplifting the livelihoods of all Pacific Islanders and achieving sustainable development.
“Our agreement on the table does not achieve this,” he said.
“It is for this reason that Fiji, and we believe other Pacific Island Countries, does not consider PACER Plus Agreement to be motivated by merely markets opened through elimination of tariffs or the removal of regulations on services and investment sectors.”
“Today, we have a PACER Plus that does not provide binding commitments in Labour mobility or Development Cooperation. Furthermore, the Pacific parties are being pushed to give away their policy space, especially the right to regulate and the chapters on Investment and Service and General Exceptions, for example, seek to constrain our policy space to the extent that we no longer are in control of our development,” Hon. Koya said.
All parties, he said, should ensure that the current negotiations result in a long term, predictable and sustainable foundation, which leads to increased exports, job creation, poverty alleviation and private sector growth amongst Pacific Island Countries.
Development, he says, should be at the core of PACER Plus and that the final outcome should reflect this by taking into account the different levels of development between Australia and New Zealand on one hand and the Pacific Island Countries on the other and also within the Pacific Island Countries.