Considerations on COM(2024)92 - Accession of Tonga to the Interim Partnership Agreement with the Pacific States

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dossier COM(2024)92 - Accession of Tonga to the Interim Partnership Agreement with the Pacific States.
document COM(2024)92
date March  1, 2024
 
(1) On 12 June 2002, the Council authorised the Commission to open negotiations for Economic Partnership Agreements with the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States2.

(2) The Interim Partnership Agreement between the European Community, of the one part, and the Pacific States, of the other part3 (the ‘Interim Partnership Agreement’), which establishes a framework for an Economic Partnership Agreement, was signed in London on 30 July 2009. The Interim Partnership Agreement has been provisionally applied by Papua New Guinea and the Republic of the Fiji since 20 December 2009 and 28 July 2014, respectively.

(3) Article 80 of the Interim Partnership Agreement lays down the provisions regarding the accession of other Pacific Islands States. Accordingly, the Independent State of Samoa and Solomon Islands have acceded to the Interim Partnership Agreement and have been provisionally applying it since 31 December 2018 and 17 May 2020, respectively.

(4) On 13 July 2023, Tonga submitted a request for accession together with a market access offer to the Union.

(5) The Commission has assessed Tonga’s offer and found it acceptable. Accordingly, the Commission has concluded negotiations with Tonga on 27 September 2023.

(6) In accordance with Article 76(3) of the Interim Partnership Agreement, the Union and Tonga are to provisionally apply the Interim Partnership Agreement 10 days after notifying each other in writing of the completion of the procedures necessary for this purpose.

(7) The accession of Tonga to the Interim Partnership Agreement should be approved on behalf of the Union, subject to Tonga’s deposit of the act of accession pursuant to Article 80(2) thereof.