KAS Australia and the Pacific had the pleasure to witness the 1st EU-Pacific Business Forum held on 3-4 September in Nadi, Fiji. The Forum convened public and private sector operators from the EU and Pacific countries and territories with the aim of increasing trade and investment between the two regions. The two-day interactive event focussed on the EU’s Global Gateway initiative and featured plenary and thematic sessions on blue economy, digital connectivity, renewable energy, and climate change as well as food processing and agriculture. The sessions were complemented by business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-government (B2G) networking meetings to foster tangible business outcomes. Development finance institutions showcased the opportunities linked to the European Fund for Sustainable Development (EFSD+), a financing tool of the EU’s Global Gateway initiative.
The Forum took place two years after the signing of the Samoa (post-Cotonou) Agreement in Apia and immediately before the 2025 Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders Meeting in Honiara. The event gained particular importance after the PIF’s decision to implement the Leaders Meeting without the participation of any of the dialogue partners. High-level representatives from the EU included the EU Commissioner for International Partnerships (HE Jozef Sikela), who highlighted shared values and the opportunities that come with the EU’s Global Gateway initiative. High-level representatives from the Pacific Region included the Secretary General of the PIF Secretariat (Hon Baron Waqa), the Deputy Prime Minister of Fiji (Hon Manoa Kamikamica), the President of Palau (Hon Surangel Whipps Jr), and the President of French Polynesia (Tahiti) (Hon Moetai Brotherson), who focussed on the achievements that the PIF member states in general and their respective countries in particular have achieved to date. The participants agreed that challenges remain, including the EU’s sanitary and phytosanitary standards, and the Pacific Islands States’ limited capacities and lack of suitable legislation. As part of the solution greater regional integration and collaboration was offered, something the EU Ambassador, HE Barbara Plinkert, said would flow through the veins of the EU.
