Export Guide for Pacific Small Island Developing States

The Project at A Glance

International Economics prepared an Export Guide for the South Pacific and conducted a comprehensive review of the European Union’s trade frameworks relevant to the 15 Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS). The publication can be accessed here.

This project was part of the “Improving Pacific Islands Customs and Trade” (IMPACT) project which is a component of the ‘Pacific Regional Integration Support’ Programme (PRISE) funded by the European Commission under the 11th cycle of the European Development Fund. PRISE aims to supports greater economic integration between the small and scattered countries of the Pacific and the global economy.

What We Found

The Export Guide provides a comprehensive review of the European Union’s trade frameworks in relation to the 15 PSIDS (Cook Islands, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu). It also includes information on tariff schedules, preferential schemes, and regulatory requirements – especially under the interim Economic Partnership Agreement – in a clear and user-friendly format.

Our Strategy and Impact

International Economics analysed Pacific export flows to the EU, identified niche market opportunities, and assessed logistical factors such as shipping, customs, and buyer outreach methods. Specifically, the Team used a five-step approach to develop the Export Guide and related materials for PSIDS. This included a comprehensive desk review of relevant literature and data from official sources to analyse key economic sectors and potential export products from PSIDS. In parallel, stakeholder consultations, primarily virtual, were conducted to verify niche markets, identify exporter challenges, and assess logistical aspects such as shipping and customs processes.

Our Core Solutions

As businesses seek to expand operations into new markets, the need to explore global supply chains and understand the international regulatory framework becomes crucial to competitively expand into new product/service lines and markets, reduce costs, increase revenue and reduce portfolio risks.

At International Economics, we build tailor-made strategies for both import and export-oriented business solutions. We carry out sensitivity analysis and prepare detailed resource scheduling and standard performance dashboards to track the implementation process and financial ratio performance of your products and services. We can also work on corporate leadership and change management strategy. Finally, we develop the analytics and risk matrices and use our cognitive computing insights to update these in real-time.