The Interim Partnership Agreement between the European Community, of the one part, and the Pacific States, of the other part (1) (the ‘Agreement’), which establishes a framework for an economic partnership agreement, was signed in London on 30 July 2009. The Agreement has been provisionally applied by the Independent State of Papua New Guinea and by the Republic of Fiji since 20 December 2009 and 28 July 2014, respectively.
(2)
Article 80 of the Agreement provides for the accession of the other Pacific Island States. By Decisions (EU) 2018/1908 (2) and (EU) 2020/409 (3), respectively, the Council approved the accession of the Independent State of Samoa (Samoa) and the accession of Solomon Islands to the Agreement. Samoa acceded to the Agreement on 21 December 2018 and has provisionally applied it since 31 December 2018. Solomon Islands acceded to the Agreement on 7 May 2020 and have provisionally applied it since 17 May 2020.
(3)
Following the accessions of Samoa and Solomon Islands, it is necessary to amend Annex II to the Agreement to add those countries’ market access offers to that Annex.
(4)
Article 68 of the Agreement establishes a Trade Committee that is to deal with all matters necessary for the implementation of the Agreement.
(5)
By Decision (EU) 2019/1707 (4), the Council determined the position to be taken on behalf of the Union in the Trade Committee as regards those amendments. At its seventh meeting, held on 3 to 4 October 2019, the Trade Committee adopted a Recommendation to the Parties to the Agreement recommending, among other things, to amend the Agreement to take account of the accession of Samoa and of future accessions of other Pacific Island States.
(6)
Article 13 of the Agreement provides that the Trade Committee by agreement may modify Annex II to the Agreement in any manner deemed appropriate. Accordingly, at its eighth meeting, the Trade Committee will be able to introduce that technical amendment to the Agreement to take account of the accession of Samoa and of Solomon Islands.
(7)
The Union should determine the position to be taken within the Trade Committee at its eighth meeting as regards the proposed amendment.
(8)
The position of the Union within the Trade Committee at its eighth meeting should therefore be based on the draft Decision of the Trade Committee,
