ISDS Case Map
PACER | PACER Plus
Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations
PNG and Fiji’s rejection shows that the agreement is heavily skewed towards the interests of Australia and New Zealand - despite early rhetoric that the agreement was about development needs.
The deal could be signed as early as April and without the two biggest Pacific Island economies, PNG and Fiji.
The Minerals Council of Australia has called on the Government to pursue further trade liberalization through bilateral and regional trading agreements.
Pacific Island countries are expected to sign the proposed regional trade deal called PACER Plus next month.
Fiji has reportedly withdrawn from negotiations for the proposed PACER-Plus regional free trade agreement.
The negotiations are said to offer an opportunity to help Pacific Islands Forum countries benefit from enhanced regional trade and economic integration.
Trade ministers from Pacific Island Forum countries including Australia and New Zealand gathered to try to sign off on the negotiations which have been going on for more than 8 years.
Signed by 55 Pacific civil society organisations and over 200 individuals, the petition calls for no conclusion to be made on PACER-Plus until all the texts have been released and there has been an independent social impact assessment of the proposed deal.
Civil society groups, trade unions, church groups, environmentalists, gender activists and many more are calling for Ministers to make no decision on PACER-Plus -- a free trade agreement between Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands -- until there has been a proper social impact assessment and mandate from the Pacific people who are most likely to be affected.
A meeting on Pacific labour mobility under the PACER Plus trade deal has a glaring omission – the voices of organised labour.
