Pacific-EU EPA talks stall

Transcript

The European Union's Ambassador to the Pacific says it's up to Pacific countries to decide how to go forward with an Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU.

Andrew Jacobs says the negotiations, which began nearly 11 years ago, have reached a stalemate and are still a long way from being concluded.

Mr Jacobs says the EU's Trade Commissioner, Cecilia Malmstrom, has proposed a three year break in talks to give the Pacific a chance to decide how to go forward.

ANDREW JACOBS: We have come up against a number of hurdles, particularly in relations to the conservation and management of fisheries resources. And recently, our European Union Trade Commissioner, Cecilia Malmstrom, wrote to the Pacific side, to the Tongan Minister of Trade who is currently also chairing negotiations on the Pacific side, proposing that we take a break which we felt would give the Pacific side a chance to really discuss and decide how to go forward on this fisheries management issue.

JAMIE TAHANA: So it's fair to say they've reached a stalemate with neither side willing to back down?

AJ: Well we feel that it's helpful to have a period of reflection and discussion. I mean, I do want to say that the European Union is still extremely committed to economic partnership with the Pacific. You know, it's a big priority for us. We know that the enhancement of sustainable trade really contributes to development and it's a very important part of the Pacific's agenda. But we feel, also, strongly that sustainable management really goes hand-in-hand with the management of natural resources in a sustainable way. So we consider that we really do need to go forward on both of these things at the same time.

JT: And so what is it that you can't agree on, exactly?

AJ: It's a question of having provisions in the Economic Partnership Agreement for the best possible management of the fisheries stocks in the Pacific region.

JT: Is a three year break though really appropriate when it's already taken 11 years?

AJ: Well it may not be three years, I mean this is an indicative time horizon that was proposed in the letter from the Trade Commissioner, if things can move forward more quickly than that then so much the better.

JT: The Pacific Islands Forum, though, says such a deferral would be unacceptable to it.

AJ: We're very happy to sit around tables and to talk when there is really something that we can focus on, but I know that the Trade Commissioner doesn't feel at the moment that given the obstacles in our path and given the lack of progress recently on the agreement that it would be a very profitable use peoples time and our resources to do that. I think there does need to be better understanding in relation to fish stocks conservation in order for us to really feel that a meeting is actually going to help to move things forward. I don't think that it's meetings that will help push things forward, it's really a consolidation of the position of the Pacific side on the sustainable management of fisheries stocks that it did seem appropriate at the moment, given that we do seem to be a bit going around in circles to take a break to consolidate and then if things are clearer, then to go forward in the most constructive way.

JT: And if they're not clearer is that the end of this?

AJ: Well I don't want to pre-empt what can happen in the coming period. Certainly, as I say, we're extremely committed to economic partnership with the Pacific which is why we already have an Economic Partnership Agreement with Fiji and Papua New Guinea, and it's an agreement that other countries are able to sign up to if they want to and we are continuing on the development cooperations with a major programme of support for trade integration, trade negotiation and so on. So it's something that we do take extremely seriously, but there needs to be two sides to any fruitful discussion.

JT: So in your view, the ball is very much in the Pacific's court and it's up to them to approach you?

AJ: Well there is this review of fisheries management and conservation methods and planning which is taking place and this will take a certain amount of time to be concluded, and we look forward to hearing about that.