Brussels, 20/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - In Strasbourg on Wednesday 19 January, the European Parliament gave its blessing to the conclusion of an interim economic partnership agreement (EPA) with Papua New Guinea and Fiji, the only two countries of the Pacific so far to have committed to the gradual liberalisation of their trade with the EU.
This parliamentary green light, which is now required by the Treaty of Lisbon for trade agreements, came with some reservations from the MEPs. In resolution adopted the same day (540 votes in favour, 120 against and 20 abstentions), the Parliament voiced its concerns at Papua New Guinea's decision to derogate from the roles of origin for processed fish products. This derogation will make it possible to produce canned fish described as originating from the country, using tuna caught in countries such as the Philippines, Thailand, China, the United States and Australia. With concerns about the potential destabilising effect of this derogation on the European fish canning industry, the Parliament calls on the European Commission to suspend the exceptional provisions of rules of origin if an impact study scheduled for 2011 confirms that this risk exists. Alain Cadec (EPP, France ), the vice-chair of the parliamentary committee on fisheries, voted against the EPA. “This derogation is dangerous. It is a godsend for the Chinese and Filipino processing industries, which are setting up in New Guinea in large numbers. It creates only very few jobs for the local population and threatens thousands of European jobs in processing”, he stressed. (A.N./transl.fl)