RELATIONS WITH THE EU
The European Union and Tuvalu
Tuvalu is a Polynesian Pacific island country. The relationship between the European Union and Tuvalu is governed by the Partnership Agreement between the EU and the Organisation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (the Samoa Agreement). Tuvalu and the EU work together on a number of common values, interests and challenges, such as climate change, oceans and human rights, which they address in bilateral Political Dialogues, at various ACP-EU policy dialogues, and at global multilateral levels.
Political Relations
Tuvalu consists of 3 reef islands, 6 atolls, and a population of 13,000.
Tuvalu participates in policy dialogues within the ACP-EU institutions from senior officials to parliamentary and ministerial levels. The EU also cooperates closely with Tuvalu to ensure our shared commitment to universal values and human rights principles are upheld at the international level.
The EU and Tuvalu hold Enhanced Political Dialogues to address common interests and challenges, such as climate change, oceans, human rights, development cooperation, economic and trade cooperation. The last Political Dialogue took place in April 2019.
Tuvalu and the EU are engaged in the Pacific region through the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and Pacific Community (SPC). The Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) coordinates the ACP-EU policy dialogues.
The EU and Tuvalu apply a short-stay Visa Waiver Agreement, to encourage people-to-people contacts, boost tourism and invigorate business.
Tuvalu has been supported by the EU and its Member States through the Team Europe response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Economic Relations
Economic Relations between the EU and Tuvalu
Tuvalu is a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), categorised as Upper Middle-Income Country. The economy is mainly driven by the public sector but also relies on fishing license fees, trust fund investments, official development assistance, and remittances for foreign currency earnings. As a small, isolated island country, Tuvalu is heavily import-dependent. Whilst public employment dominates Tuvalu’s economic base, fish exports and fishing licenses from Tuvalu’s waters provide a significant source of income, as well as passenger and cargo ships.
Tuvalu benefits from the EU’s Everything But Arms (EBA) regime, a special arrangement for least developed countries, providing all their products (except arms) duty-free, quota-free access to the EU market — the world’s largest single market.
As part of the ACP Pacific group, Tuvalu can accede to the EU-Pacific Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), currently applied between the EU and Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and the Solomon Islands.
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As part of the ACP Pacific group, Tuvalu can accede to the EU-Pacific Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), currently applied between the EU and Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and the Solomon Islands.
Copyright: Julius Sliver
Development Cooperation
The European Union’s Development Cooperation with Marshall Islands
Between 2014-2020, the European Union has supported a wide range of cooperation projects that have benefitted Tuvalu in areas such as; climate change adaptation, deep-sea minerals, sustainable management of fisheries, tourism, trade policy, agricultural development, public finance and hazardous waste management.