Brussels, 1 December 2021 (TDI): Independent State of Samoa and the European Union held the third virtual Political Dialogue on the 29th of November, assessing prospects for deepening relations in the context of the new EU-OACPS Partnership Agreement.
The Agreement was signed between the EU and Organization of Africa Caribbean and the Pacific Group States (OACPS) under Article 8 of the Partnership (Cotonou) Agreement.
Peseta Noumea SIMI, Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Paola Pampaloni, Deputy Managing Director of the Asia-Pacific Department of the European External Action Service chaired the Dialogue.
Samoa and the EU held the 3rd Political Dialogue today, assessing prospects for deepening relations in the context of the new EU-OACPS Partnership Agreement.
📌 Covid-19, climate change, and development cooperation were a key part of the discussions.
— European External Action Service – EEAS 🇪🇺 (@eu_eeas) November 29, 2021
Samoa-EU Relations
The dialogue was a chance to talk about the recent developments to strengthen the EU and Samoa relations through the strong and durable dedicated partnership of the EU-OACPS Partnership Agreement. Samoa has confirmed the Pacific and ACP Council’s approval for hosting the new signing successor agreement, but the EU has not gained the position in this situation yet. This will be called the Samoa Agreement.
Agreement Key Points
Under the Neighbourhood Development and Integration Corporation Instrument (NDICI), both entities focused on 2021-2027 development corporation and programming. Through, Interim Economic Partnership Agreement (IEPA), reinforce trade tides for the effective execution and implementation. Moreover, visa-associated matters and good tax governance corporations were also discussed.
Co-operation in the Indo-Pacific:
They highlighted opinions on EU Strategy regarding Indo-Pacific for addressing issues including environmental resilience, security, and oceans under multilateral cooperation. Moreover, they also mentioned their negotiation with Pacific partners on a Joint Declaration on Trade and Sustainable Development as well as asserted their dedication to the execution of Sustainable Development Goals, human rights, and the Universal Periodic Review Process.
Constructive Dialogue:
The constructive dialogue corroborated the area of shared common concern. Both entities can reinforce cooperation for the mutual benefit of their respective nations.
