Sparteca Trade Agreement

12 Apr Sparteca Trade Agreement

SPARTECA is a non-recurring, non-discriminatory trade agreement in which Australia and New Zealand grant duty-free access to all ICC products (excluding sugar in the case of Australia). See www.homeaffairs.gov.au/Freetradeagreements/Documents/origin4.pdf for SPARTECA Reference mitt.oceanic.net.fj/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/SPARTECA.pdfHandbook and click on the link for SPARTECA The South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Co-co-operation Agreement (SPARTECA) is a non-reciprocal trade agreement under which Australia and New Zealand offer duty-free or concession-free access to most products originating from Forum Island Countries (FICs). The South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement (SPARTECA) is a non-reciprocal trade agreement in which Australia and New Zealand offer unrestricted and free access to certain products from the developing countries of the Pacific Islands Forum. Signed in 1980 in Tarawa, Kiribati, the agreement is governed by rules of origin aimed at addressing unequal trade relations between the two groups. [1] The textile, apparel and footwear (TCF) industry has been a major beneficiary of Sparteca due to preferential access to the Australian and New Zealand markets. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1981. The Australian CSI began in July 1991 as part of a broader package of customs reforms and other industrial reforms in Australia. It was introduced as a temporary measure to promote Australian exports of TCF and was suspended on 30 June 2000, with the exception of Fiji, where an extension was granted until October 2000. The local textile, apparel and footwear (TCF) industry has grown over the past 10 years and is now one of the most important industries in Fiji.

In 1997, the TCF industry accounted for 26% of Fiji`s total domestic exports; It contributed about 3.5% of GDP and provided about 18,000 people, representing 16% of the total paid labour force, in employment. The rapid expansion of the TCF industry in Fiji was attributed to the abolition of CWT quotas by the Australian government in 1987, which allowed quota-free and duty-free access under Sparteca, the introduction of the Factory/Tax-Free Zone System (TFF/TFZ) in 1988 and the Australian Import-Credit Scheme (ICS).