european union

This follows the final National Validation Workshop, which took place in Port Moresby on 15th July, 2016.

The European Union funded Trade Related Assistance phase two (TRA 2) program has been providing intensive technical assistance to the Trade Division of the Department of Trade, Commerce and Industry (DTCI) over recent months, working very closely to finalise the document with the officers of the Trade Division.

In a statement, the EU says PNG has not had a national trade policy to guide the country in its trade negotiations and agreements.

EU Ambassador to PNG, Ioannis Giogkarakis-Argyropoulos, said with more positive reforms to ensure efficiency, transparency and accountability in public finance management, the EU will relinquish supervision of development funds and pour it directly into the PNG Budget.

He said this during the announcement of the Public Finance Management Act 2016, which replaces the PFMA 1995.

The plan envisages greater co-ordination in areas like EU-led peacekeeping missions outside the bloc.

However, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini stressed that the bloc did not intend to compete with Nato or create a European army.

She added that the plan was under consideration before Donald Trump's victory in US presidential elections.

During the campaign, Mr Trump suggested that Washington may not automatically come to the aid of a Nato ally under attack, criticising low levels of defence spending by some EU members of the military alliance.

In a previously unpublished column he penned in February, Johnson -- now the UK's foreign secretary -- urged Britain to stay in the EU, just two days before he came out against the Remain campaign.

“On this important occasion, we recall that the death penalty is a violation of human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and call for an end to state-sanctioned capital punishment.”

The result – the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate deal which sets out a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2oC.

To further underline their determination countries also agreed to pursue efforts to limit temperature increase to 1,5oC.

European Council President Donald Tusk said Mrs May had told him the UK could be ready to begin talks by February.

The BBC's Tom Bateman says this is the clearest sign yet of when the two-year withdrawal process may start.

Mrs May's office said it would not be launched this year, but did not confirm Mr Tusk's account.

Formal negotiations over the withdrawal cannot begin until the UK triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the formal mechanism for leaving the union.

Speaking after the Forum meeting, the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Peter O’Neill , said the decision could be seen as somewhat controversial, but he feels comfortable with bringing French Polynesia and New Caledonia into the Forum.

"The fact of the matter remains that French Polynesia and New Caledonia are important territories in the Pacific region and this is a wise decision,” PM O’Neill said.

"Together they have a population of well over half a million people.

The dozens of people crammed together at the front of the line to the border crossing looked at the closed gate and razor wire in disbelief. One young Syrian muttered he had been in the tent at the crossing for five days without sleeping. It was his 15th day at the Idomeni refugee camp.

One woman broke down, crying and screaming as she held her baby in her arms while a man tried to calm and comfort her. Refugees asked reporters what had happened in Brussels, and asked what they could or should do next.

The EU market-- the world’s leading recipient of tuna, has stringent rules on processing ensuring safety for consumers, and sourcing rules to ensure fish were caught in compliance with fishing rules and reporting processes. The EU market is the largest recipient of PNG’s tuna, valued at around 140mUSD annually.