CONCERNS of the African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) countries with regards to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (C-EPA) negotiations were on the agenda at a meeting with European Commission's trade commissioner Karel de Gutch.
Fiji's Attorney-General and Minister for Industry and Trade Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum was at the Joint Ministerial Trade Committee (JMTC) held last Friday in Brussels.
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum and Mr de Gutch co-chaired the JMTC on behalf of the ACP Group and the European Union, respectively.
A government statement said at the meeting, Mr Sayed-Khaiyum discussed the need for continuous and meaningful engagement by the European Commission with the Pacific ACP countries. And the engagement, he said should be at technical and political levels in order to finalise the negotiations on the C-EPA.
"The Pacific ACP region has been negotiating the C-EPA with the European Commission (EC) for the past nine years and a number of contentious issues are yet to be resolved," he said.