Towards a renewed EU-Pacific development partnership

The growing geostrategic importance of the Pacific, combined with global awareness of Pacific Islands' vulnerability to climate change, has made this region an emerging foreign policy priority for both the EU and many of its strategic partners such as the US, Japan, China, Russia and India. Other bilateral partners and multilateral institutions are also consolidating their presence in the region.

Most EU Member States rely on the EU to promote and deliver on foreign policy interests in that region. The EU has engaged in regular political dialogues at country and regional level and is an influential donor and partner in the Pacific. The EU's partnerships in the Pacific involve 15 independent Island Countries, 4 Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT), the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) as well as Australia and New Zealand − key members of the Forum and like-minded partners.

As a global player, the EU aims at renewing and reinforcing its partnerships beyond a donor-recipient relationship. The 2006 EU Strategy for the Pacific was a first step in this direction. As a result, the EU and the PIF have upgraded their political dialogue to Ministerial level.

The EU should increase the impact of its development policy, in line with the EU Agenda for Change, and consolidate its position as the second donor in the region after Australia. This will allow the EU to enhance the political dimension of its partnership, by engaging in a more effective dialogue with Pacific countries, individually as well as at regional and multilateral level, in order to strengthen its cooperation on human rights, democracy good governance and sustainable development, as well as to ensure full respect of the UN Charter and international law worldwide.

Building on the Cotonou Agreement as well as experience gained in the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Pacific, this Joint Communication focuses on the development aspects of EU relations with the region and proposes a set of actions for a more effective Pacific-EU cooperation.