In Melbourne, Australia, at the 2025 Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Ministerial Commission Meeting, CPTPP ministers identified that Indonesia, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates are in line with the Auckland Principles (principles that CPTPP Parties consider when assessing accession applications). At that same meeting, CPTPP Ministers committed to meeting again in the first half of 2026 to take further decisions on these three accession applicants, as appropriate.
Ministerial Commission Meeting – 26th June
In the early hours of 26 June 2026, I attended a virtual Commission Meeting alongside CPTPP Ministers and Representatives; to meet the commitment we made in Melbourne. At this meeting we approved by consensus to begin preparatory discussions on accessions with Indonesia, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates. We have tasked CPTPP officials to commence these discussions over the coming months.
At the Commission meeting, CPTPP Ministers also:
Noted the substantive conclusion of negotiations with Costa Rica and that we have commenced Uruguay’s Accession Working Group.Approved the establishment of an ad hoc working group to enhance cooperation on rules of origin, customs administration and trade facilitation to maintain a fair and transparent trading environment.Took note of ongoing work to upgrade the CPTPP agreement following the General ReviewRecommitted to the work underway in dialogues between CPTPP Parties and the EU and ASEAN.The full joint ministerial statement of the meeting outcomes can be found here: Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) joint ministerial statement on expansion, implementation and co-operation: 26 June 2026 - GOV.UK
Energy Security and Supply Chains for Essential Energy Products and Other Impacted Commodities
At the same meeting, CPTPP ministers issued a Joint Ministerial Statement emphasizing the importance of maintaining free and open markets and rules-based trade in energy and other impacted products, in light of recent global disruptions.
Next Steps
CPTPP Ministers will convene again towards the end of this year for the CPTPP Commission Meeting under Viet Nam’s Chairship, I look forward to keeping the House updated on future CPTPP developments.
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wms/?id=2026-06-29.hcws154.0
seen at 09:57, 30 June in Written Ministerial Statements.