Considerations on COM(2025)105 - Accession of Vanuatu to the Interim Partnership Agreement with the Pacific States

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(1) On 12 June 2002, the Council authorised the Commission to open negotiations for Economic Partnership Agreements with the Organisation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States 5 .

(2) The Interim Partnership Agreement between the European Community, of the one part, and the Pacific States, of the other part 6 (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 10 July 2024, Vanuatu submitted a request for accession together with a market access offer to the Union.

(5) The Commission has assessed Vanuatu’s offer and found it acceptable. Accordingly, the Commission has concluded negotiations with Vanuatu on 7 August 2024.

(6) In accordance with Article 76(3) of the Interim Partnership Agreement, the Union and Vanuatu 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 Vanuatu to the Interim Partnership Agreement should be approved on behalf of the Union, subject to Vanuatu’s deposit of the act of accession pursuant to Article 80(2) thereof.