THE inaugural European Union (EU)-Pacific Business Forum brought together political leaders, business figures, and development partners to chart a more ambitious course for the Pacific’s economic future.
Hailed as a strategic platform for action, the forum aimed to encourage investment, trade, and cooperation as part of the European Union’s Global Gateway Strategy.
“The Pacific is not waiting; we are leading,” Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Manoa Kamikamica, said at the forum in Nadi, Fiji.
“Let it show that in a world of fragmentation, we in the Pacific choose to build together, confidently, and on our own terms.’’
In 2024 alone, trade between the EU and Pacific ACP countries reached €3.8 billion, a 50% increase from a decade ago.
Fiji remains a key player in this dynamic, making notable contributions to the region’s exports to Europe, especially in processed fisheries, agricultural products, and specialised manufactured goods.
These figures reflect not only economic value, but also the increasing recognition of the Pacific and Fiji as credible, standards-ready partners in global trade.
Kamikamica added that the forum was a powerful acknowledgement of that recognition.
“It reflects the European Union’s respect for the Pacific, and our region’s commitment to advancing a more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive model of economic cooperation,” he said.
Director of International Partnerships for Asia and the Pacific at the European Commission, Peteris Ustubs, said former EU Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen had promised that the Business Forum would be held during her visit to the Pacific a year ago.
“This Business Forum comes within the framework of the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy,” he said.
“The European Union is now implementing an ambitious international investment agenda called Global Gateway, aiming at bringing opportunities for investments and development in major necessary infrastructures to partner countries and businesses.
The EU-Pacific Business Forum was dedicated to encouraging investment, trade, and cooperation not only between Europe and the Pacific, but also within the Pacific itself.
With more than 330 registered participants from the public and private sectors, the EU has developed the foundation to advance its mission.
Ustubs added that the EU is a reliable partner, and they want to sustain and even deepen the special relationship they have with the Pacific.