EU-Seychelles Fisheries Partnership Faces Critical Negotiations Before Expiry
VICTORIA, Seychelles — The EU-Seychelles fisheries partnership faces a critical juncture as the current Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement approaches its expiry date of February 23, with four rounds of negotiations already completed and a fifth currently under way, leaving EU-flagged vessels at risk of being barred from Seychelles waters if a new deal is not concluded in time. Principal Minister and Minister for Fisheries, Agriculture and Blue Economy Wallace Cosgrow explained the situation on Tuesday following a courtesy visit by five members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries to President Patrick Herminie at State House.
The stakes are high for the Seychellois economy, as the agreement generates a multiplier effect that extends well beyond the fishing sector itself. Every euro spent in Seychelles generates 3.8 euros in jobs, infrastructure, regulations, and authorities that help the country develop, according to European Parliament delegation head Emma Wiesner, who described the partnership as Europe’s largest global collaboration in tuna fishing. Without renewal, Seychelles would lose licence fees and other financial contributions that support fishing sector operations, port activities, and the Seychelles Petroleum Company.
Minister Cosgrow noted that the main sticking point in negotiations remains remuneration, expressing hope that the current fifth round will break the deadlock, and warned that without renewal EU vessels would still be allowed to land catches at local ports but fishing activities within Seychelles’ exclusive economic zone would cease. The visiting delegation assessed Seychelles’ progress in sustainable fishing, fisheries control, data collection, and combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing during their three-day mission, according to officials present at the meeting. Delegation member Francisco José Millán Mon emphasised the importance of breaking the deadlock.
The EU-Seychelles fisheries partnership has been in place for 42 years, underscoring its enduring strategic importance to both parties. Emma Wiesner described Europe as a reliable democratic partner and expressed hope that the relationship would continue well into the future, while also noting that the EU-Seychelles partnership represents Europe’s largest global collaboration in tuna fishing, underscoring its strategic importance in the Indo-Pacific.
During their visit, the European Parliament delegation inspected purse seiners at Fishing Port North, the Indian Ocean Tuna factory, cold storage sites, and the Seychelles Fisheries Authority’s monitoring centre, while also meeting EU tropical purse seine operators, the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission’s executive secretary, and artisanal fisheries organisations at EU-supported facilities. These on-the-ground assessments are expected to inform the European Parliament’s position on ratifying any new agreement once negotiations conclude.
A failure to renew the agreement before expiry would mark a significant disruption to one of Seychelles’ most important economic partnerships, with consequences felt across the entire maritime economy.
