- Pacific Union
The Pacific Union is a proposed political and economic intergovernmental community suggested in 2003 by a
committee of theAustralian Senate . The committee called for the formation of a Pacific Union composed of the member-states of thePacific Islands Forum , but with a common charter, institutions and currency. Although the formerPrime Minister of Australia ,John Howard , spoke of a Pacific Union whilst in power, his government's emphasis was focused onbilateral relations and agreements with the individual states of the Forum.Fact|date=August 2007Existing integration
There is already a good deal of regional cooperation and integration within the proposed Pacific Union nations. The most prominent example of pre-existing regionalism amongst countries of the
Pacific Ocean is thePacific Islands Forum , an inter-governmental organization which aims to represent the interests of its members and enhance cooperation between them. The Pacific Islands Forum could be seen as a possible precursor organization to a Pacific Union but lacking a common charter, institutions and currency.Even greater economic integration exists between particular states within the region.
Closer Economic Relations (CER) free trade agreement between the governments of New Zealand andAustralia allowing the free trade of most goods and services between the two nations without the hindrance oftariff barriers or export incentives. TheMelanesian Spearhead Group is a more recent trade treaty governing the fourMelanesian states ofVanuatu ,Papua New Guinea , theSolomon Islands and recently,Fiji . The nations ofNauru ,Kiribati andTuvalu already use theAustralian dollar while theCook Islands ,Tokelau andNiue use theNew Zealand Dollar Apart from purely economic cooperation, regional response to crises has also already been somewhat integrated. In October 2000, national leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum signed the
Biketawa Declaration constituting a framework for coordinating response to regional crises leading to New Zealand and Australian military and police forces participating in regional peacekeeping/stabilization operations in Papua New Guinea (in Bougainville),Solomon Islands (2003–present), Nauru (2004–present) andTonga (2006).Future prospects
There has been a call from within both the Australian and New Zealand business communities to extend the Closer Economic Relations (CER) Free Trade Agreement to other Pacific Island nations. Moving towards a single market and allowing the free movement of people and goods. Harmonising both the CER and the
Pacific Regional Trade Agreement (PARTA) is one possibility of moving towards this goal.See also
*
Caribbean Community
*Continental union
**African Union
**Asian Union
**Central Asian Union
**European Union
**North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
**South American UnionExternal links
* [http://www.forumsec.org/ Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat]
* [http://www.pacificplan.org/ The Pacific Plan]Articles, Editorials, and Reports
* [http://www.aspi.org.au/publications/publication_details.aspx?ContentID=157&pubtype=10 Engaging our neighbours: Towards a new relationship between Australian and the Pacific Islands]
* [http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a741497709~db=all Beyond Cooperation: Towards an Oceanic Community]
* [http://www.dev-zone.org/downloads/Regional%20Integration%20in%20the%20Pacific%20WPS%2016%20of%202005.pdf Regional Integration in the Pacific]
* [http://www.usp.ac.fj/fileadmin/files/Institutes/piasdg/dev_studies/papers/robertson_regionalism_pacific.pdf Regionalism in the Pacific: A New Development Strategy]
* [http://www.otago.ac.nz/otagofps/FPS05/fps2004/pdfs/Fry.pdf Whose Oceania? Contending Visions of Community in Pacific Region-Building]
* [http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/fadt_ctte/completed_inquiries/2002-04/png/report/index.htm Australia's Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee (2003-08-12): A Pacific Engaged: Australia’s Relations with Papua New Guinea and the Island States of the South–West Pacific]
* [http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2003/08/12/922821.htm ABC (2003-08-12): Senate Calls for Pacific Community to Head Off Regional Crises]
* [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/12/1060588392171.html The Age (2003-08-13): Call for EU-Style 'Pacific Community']
* [http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2003/08/18/926513.htm ABC (2003-08-18): Australia Floats 'Pacific Union' Idea]
* [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/17/1061059717704.html The Age (2003-08-18): Howard Push for Pacific Union]
* [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/29/1062050663347.html The Age (2003-08-30): Time to Look at a Pacific Community]
* [http://www.pacificmagazine.net/issue/2004/03/01/a-eu-style-club-for-the-pacific Pacific Magazine (2004-03-01): A EU-Style Club For The Pacific?]
* [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/03/05/1078464639849.html The Age (2004-03-06): Bold Plan for Pacific Unity]
* [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/04/05/1081017102111.html The Age (2004-04-06): Pacific Forum Beckons EU-Style Links]
* [http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2004/04/06/1081735.htm ABC (2004-04-06): Pacific Plan Expected to Fall Short of Total Union]
* [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/04/06/1081222465725.html The Age (2004-04-07): Pacific Heads Back Region Unity Plan]
* [http://peb.anu.edu.au/pdf/PEB20-3%20Sercombe-Peebles-policy.pdf Pacific Economic Bulletin (2005 #3): Towards a Pacific Community]
* [http://www.theage.com.au/news/hugh-white/pacific-plan-puts-howard-to-the-test/2005/10/09/1128796408094.html The Age (2005-10-09): Pacific Plan Puts Howard to the Test]
* [http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2005/10/17/region-adb-calls-for-pacific-plan-focus-on-governance-and-economic-opportunities Pacific Magazine (2005-10-17): ADB Calls for Pacific Plan Focus On Governance And Economic Opportunities]
* [http://www.fiji.gov.fj/publish/page_5674.shtml Fiji (2005-11-02): Pacific Leaders Endorse Plan to Strengthen Regional Cooperation]
* [http://eherald.alp.org.au/articles/0506/natp05-01.php Labor eHerald (2006-05-04): A Vision of a Pacific Community]
* [http://www.abc.net.au/correspondents/content/2006/s1694008.htm ABC (2006-07-23): Urwin Calls for Pacific Settlement]
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