PRESS RELEASE 
EMBARGO  
NOT FOR PUBLICATION, OR DISTRIBUTION BY NEWS AGENCIES UNTIL 
1400 GENEVA TIME ( 1300  GMT) 25 MARCH 2009  
 
PRESS/TPRB/313 
25 March 2009 
(09-1458) 
 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW: FIJI 
Market opening and deregulato ry measures would promote a 
more diversified and efficient economy  
Since its last review, Fiji has undertaken some trade-related reforms and has liberalized and 
rationalized its foreign investment regime, reforms that are seen as integral to Fiji's economic 
priorities of a developing, efficient and competit ive open economy to promote export-led growth, 
according to a WTO Secretariat report on the trade policies and practices of Fiji. 
 Growth has been erratic and generally sluggish, averaging less than 1% annually since 2003. 
There are doubts on the economic benefits of Fi ji's expanded network of bilateral and regional 
agreements;  some tax incentives have dubious economic merit; and significant trade and other 
impediments remain to the efficient allocation of resources, such as government intervention, 
state-ownership, public and private monopolies and a general lack of competition. 
 The report notes than further market opening an d deregulatory measures in key sectors would 
facilitate adjustment toward a more diversified an d efficient economy. It also says that the speed 
at which the economy recovers will hinge in the interim Government's ability to meet economic challenges like restructuring of the economy to im prove productivity and competitiveness, as well 
as on making urgent political reforms. 
 The WTO report, along with a policy statement by th e Government of Fiji, will be the basis for the 
second TPR of Fiji by the Trade Policy Review Body of the WTO on 25 and 27 March 2009. 
 The following documents are available in MS Word  format on the WTO web-site.  They can be 
downloaded at http://www.wto.org/english/ tratop_e/tpr_e/tp313_e.htm  
 
• Secretariat reports 
> Contents and summary observations  
> Economic environment  > Trade and investment regimes  
> Trade policies and practices by measure  
> Trade policies by sector  > Appendix tables  
• Report by the Government of Fiji 
• Chairperson’s concluding remarks  
• Minutes of the meeting (available appr oximately six weeks after the meeting). PRESS/TPRB/313 
Page 2 of 2 
 
 
Note 
Trade Policy Reviews are an exercise, mandated in the WTO Agreement, in which member countries’ trade and related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. Significant 
developments that may have an impact on the global trading system are also monitored. For each 
review, two documents are prepared: a policy stat ement by the government of the member under 
review, and a detailed report written independently by the WTO Secretariat. These two documents are then discussed by the WTO’s full membership in  the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB). These 
documents and the proceedings of the TPRB’s meetings are published shortly afterwards.  
 
Print copies of the TPR publications are available for sale from the WTO Secretariat, Centre William 
Rappard, 154 rue de Lausanne, 1211 Genève 21 and through the on-line bookshop at 
http://onlinebookshop.wto.org/shop/articles.asp?Id_Rayon=38  
 or follow this path :  
www.wto.org >resources > publications > trade policy reviews  
 
The TPR publications are also available from our co-publisher Bernan  
Press, 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706-4346, United  
States. Please call 1-800-865-3457 or e-mail: customercare@bernan.com." 
Next reviews: 
European Communities: 6 and 8 April 2009 
Mozambique: 22 and 24 April 2009 
Solomon Islands: 6 and 8 May 2009 
 
For a full list of previous trade policy reviews and the full programme of future reviews go to 
http://www.wto.org/english/trat op_e/tpr_e/tpr_ e.htm#reviews 
or follow this path : www.wto.org > trade topics > trade policy reviews 
 
  
END