Will Fiji Lose Its EU Preferential Market Access?

The EU and Fiji recently renewed its Interim Economic Partnership Agreement (IEPA) but the Pacific Island state needs to ease down on duties for products from the bloc to implement it successfully. Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Manoa Kamikamica, said that the country might lose the deal if it does not allow some products from the EU tax-free. The IEPA is crucial for Fiji’s tuna sector as state-run PAFCO exports small volumes of pre-cooked loins to the EU, mainly Spain.

“Fiji needs to open its markets to goods from the EU under the terms of IEPA. This involves removing tariffs on imports of certain products making it easier for goods from the EU to enter Fiji’s market,” Kamikamica explained during a ministerial meeting earlier this week, reported Fijian news sites. He said that the IEPA had opened up opportunities to export goods such as tuna, sugar (the largest commodity), ginger, and mineral water to the EU reaching a peak of USD 132.40 million in 2022. He assured that Fiji would communicate with the bloc, to ensure that the trade agreement is not threatened and will resolve any issues that might come up during the implementation.