COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Participation of the European Union as Permanent Observer in the Pacific Community (SPC)
Date: 2018-08-06
Institutions: Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development, European Commission
Subjects: climate change policy, countries of the Pacific Community, development plan, development policy, fishery management, international cooperation, observer, regional development, trade policy, underwater mineral resources

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  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 6.8.2018 COM(2018) 575 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Participation of the European Union as Permanent Observer in the Pacific Community (SPC)  
 
 
Introduction 

The Pacific region comprises 15 States from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group 
of  States  and  four  Overseas  Countries  and  Territories  (OCTs).  The  region  has  a  combined 
land  area  of  580,000  km2  and  a  vast  Exclusive  Economic  Zone  (EEZ)  of  approximately  30 
million km2 for a total population of about 12 million people that includes over 500,000 EU 
citizens. 

The EU has strategic interests in the Pacific. Together, the EU and the 15 Pacific States from 
the  ACP  Group  form  a  strong  coalition  to  tackle  climate  change  and  other  global  issues, 
including  ocean  governance.  The Pacific also  presents economic and trade  opportunities for 
the  EU,  notably  in  relation  to  fisheries1  and  minerals.  Closer  ties  with  the  Pacific  countries 
will also strengthen the EU's cooperation with Australia and New Zealand in the region.  

The Pacific region represents an opportunity to use, in a coordinated and comprehensive way, 
a  range  of  different  components  of  EU  external  action,  including  the  Common  Foreign  and 
Security  Policy,  EU  development  policy,  and  economic  diplomacy.  With  very  few  EU 
Member States having representations in the Pacific countries, establishing closer ties with the 
Pacific Community (hereinafter SPC), formerly called the South Pacific Commission, would 
also be a way to reinforce the EU's cooperation with the Pacific countries.  

The  EU  implements  part  of  its  regional  and  bilateral  programmes  through  regional 
organisations in the Pacific. SPC is the main implementing organisation for EU programmes 
in the Pacific. On 11 February 2016, SPC invited the EU by means of a letter to the Head of 
the EU Delegation to the Pacific in Fiji, to become a permanent observer. This represents an 
opportunity  to  enhance  the  EU-SPC  partnership  and  to  reinforce  the  EU's  policy  dialogue 
with SPC on regional matters. 

The Pacific Community (SPC)  

The  SPC  was  established  under  the  Canberra  Agreement  in  1947.  It  is  the  main  regional 
implementing  organisation  and  plays  an  active  role  for  inclusive  regional  development, 
cooperation and integration in the Pacific. It currently counts 26 members: American Samoa, 
Australia,  Cook  Islands,  Federated  States  of  Micronesia,  Fiji,  France,  French  Polynesia, 
Guam,  Kiribati,  Marshall  Islands,  Nauru,  New  Caledonia,  New  Zealand,  Niue,  Northern 
Mariana  Islands,  Palau,  Papua  New  Guinea,  Pitcairn  Islands,  Samoa,  Solomon  Islands, 
Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, United States of America, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna.  

Aiming  to  foster  closer  and  more  substantive  engagement  with  entities  that  do  not  wish  to 
hold  or  do not  qualify for  membership  status with  the Pacific Community,  SPC adopted, in 
November 2015, during its 9th Conference, a new Policy on Membership and Observer Status 
[document  SPC/CRGA  45  (15)],  establishing  the  category  of  'permanent  observers  to  the 
Pacific Community'.  

Acknowledging  the  importance  of  coordinated  approaches  to  development  policy  and 
programming,  the  European  Commission  and  SPC  have  enhanced  their  collaboration  by 

1 The EU is a member of two Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) in the Pacific Ocean: the 
Western  and  Central  Pacific  Fisheries  Commission  (WCPFC)  and  the  South  Pacific  Regional  Fisheries 
Management  Organisation  (SPRFMO),  where  it  actively  contributes  to  the  long  term  conservation  and 
management of fishery resources.   

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signing  an  administrative  arrangement  to  establish  a  partnership  on  16  June  20152.  In  this 
context, the Commission was informally invited as an observer in SPC's annual governance 
meetings. Following the adoption of the new Policy on Membership and Observer Status of 
the  Pacific  Community,  SPC  invited  the  European  Union  to  become  the  first  permanent 
observer to the Pacific Community on 11 February 2016. 

The Permanent Observer status of the Pacific Community 

The permanent observer status is intended to engage entities within or outside of the Pacific 
region that have the will and capacity for substantive engagement with the Pacific Community 
but that do not want, or do not qualify for, membership status.  

As stated in the Policy on Membership and Observer Status of the Pacific Community ('the 
Policy'), permanent observers may expect to receive the following treatment: 

1.  Permanent  observers  may  attend the  Committee  of  Representatives  of  Governments  and 
Administrations3  (CGRA)  and  Conference4  and  other  SPC  meetings.  With 
the 
authorisation of the chairperson, they may participate in discussions and debates. 

2.  Permanent observers may present proposals at SPC meetings. Such proposals would only 
be submitted for decision  to  the members of the  Pacific Community at the request of at 
least one member of the Pacific Community. 

3.  The  chairperson  of  the  meeting  may  decide,  when  appropriate,  to  allow  a  permanent 
observer additional speaking time to reply in relation to positions or proposals upon which 
it has presented. 

4.  Permanent observers may, at the discretion of the members of the Pacific Community and 
the  SPC  secretariat,  be  invited  to  participate  in  working  groups  established  by  the 
governing body or the secretariat, subject to normal procedures governing the composition 
of such working groups. 

5.  The SPC secretariat expects to notify all permanent observers of workshops, seminars and 
other ad hoc meetings of members convened by the Pacific Community and its secretariat 
and to extend invitations to permanent observers in connection with such events. 

Granting  of  permanent  observer  status  is  subject  to  the  following  procedure,  which  is 
described in detail in the Policy: 

1.  Submission of a written request to the Conference of the Pacific Community, addressed to 
the  Director-General  of  the  Secretariat,  concisely  setting  out  the  claims  of  the  applicant 
against the criteria for permanent observer status.  

2.  Assessment  of  the  request  by  the  Secretariat  and  recommendation  to  the  Conference 

chairperson and all SPC members. 

2 Document registered  as Ares (2015)2773568 
3  The  Committee  of  Representatives  of  Governments  and  Administrations  (CRGA)  is  a  committee  of  the 
Conference of the Pacific Community which meets annually. In years when the Conference does not meet, the 
CRGA is empowered to make decisions on governance. 
4 The Conference of the Pacific Community is the organisation's governing body. It meets every two years. Each 
member country and territory is entitled to one vote on decisions. 

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3.  Assessment  of  the  request  by  the  Committee  of  Representatives  of  Governments  and 

Administrations (CRGA) and recommendation to the Conference. 

4.  Decision made by the Conference by consensus. 

5.  Notification of the decision to the applicant by the Director-General of the Secretariat. 

While  it  is  expected  that  permanent  observers  fund  their  own  participation  at  the  Pacific 
Community meetings, by exception to section 37 of the Policy, the annual contribution to the 
Pacific  Community  budget  may  be  waived  by  Decision  of  the  Conference  if  the  permanent 
observer provides significant financial support to SPC programmes via other mechanisms. In 
view  of  the  substantive  EU  financial  contribution  to  the  region  (see  below),  the  request  to 
become  permanent  observer  will  be  submitted  subject  to  the  condition  that  its  annual 
contribution to the SPC budget is waived by the Conference. 

The  procedure  for  becoming  a  permanent  observer  is  an  administrative  procedure.  The 
permanent observer status as such does not give any substantive rights nor does it create any 
obligations.  In  accordance  with  Article  17(1)  of  the  Treaty  on  the  European  Union,  the 
Commission should represent the Union in the SPC.  

Objectives 

The  Commission  and  SPC  have  developed  a  longstanding  cooperation  to  support 
development in Pacific Island Countries and Territories. EU activities supported through the 
Pacific Community have so far enabled to address challenges as well as promoting relevant 
opportunities, inter alia, in the areas of climate change, disaster risk reduction, fisheries, trade 
development, sustainable energy, culture, human rights and deep sea minerals. In 2017, about 
EUR  160  million  were  committed  by  the  EU  in  development  programmes  for  the  Pacific 
States.  

The  SPC's  regional  mandate  is  closely  aligned  to  focal  sectors  in  the  Pacific  as  well  as  the 
focus of the EU development aid. SPC is by far the EU's largest implementing partner in the 
Pacific and a key regional organisation to advance mutual interests. On an annual basis, the 
EU provides on average EUR 30 million to SPC. In 2016, this represented nearly 40% of SPC 
annual expenditure. The sizeable support  provided to  SPC by the Commission  also justifies 
closer engagement between the two institutions. 

Overall, the permanent observer status represents an opportunity for the EU to increase the 
coherence and efficiency, as well as to enhance the quality, visibility and impact of the 
activities of the Commission and SPC. It would also help reinforcing the Commission's 
policy  dialogue  with  SPC  on  regional  issues.  Moreover,  the  permanent  observer  status 
would  strengthen  EU  cooperation  with  the  Pacific  Community,  which  might  be  of  mutual 
interest  in  view  of  the  upcoming  negotiations  on  the  post-Cotonou  Partnership  Agreement 
with the ACP countries. Since one EU Member State (France) is already a full member of the 
SPC  (like  Australia,  New  Zealand  and  the  United  States  of  America),  the  Commission 
becoming  a  permanent  observer  would  provide  the  EU  with  opportunities  to  widen  its 
partnerships in the region. 

Conclusion 

SPC being both a strategic regional platform and a key regional partner with which enhanced 
collaboration  on  areas  of  mutual  interest  is  desirable,  the  Commission  intends  to  answer 

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favourably  to  SPC's  invitation  to  become  a  permanent  observer  on  behalf  of  the  EU.  The 
formal request that will be addressed to the Director-General of the Secretariat will expressly 
include  the  condition  that  the  obligation  to  contribute  financially  to  the  Pacific  Community 
budget is waived by the Conference.  

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