The European Union has formally congratulated President Patrick Herminie and the people of Seychelles on the country’s 50th independence anniversary, in a message from European Council President António Costa that frames five decades of partnership as a stabilising force in the Indian Ocean. Seychelles marked 50 years of independence on 29 June 2026, with 30 June declared a public holiday by State House.
Costa’s letter, dated to Independence Day, opens with the formal address “Dear President” and praises the country as a “beacon of stability, good governance, environmental stewardship, and progress in the African continent and Indian Ocean, leading by example.” The President of the European Council specifically invokes the Samoa Agreement framework and the EU-Seychelles Economic Partnership Agreement, calling the EPA a “modern and comprehensive free trade agreement” and citing the Lomé Convention that preceded the post-colonial trading relationship.
The letter, as reproduced in the Seychelles Nation print edition, recalls the long arc of the relationship: from the Lomé Convention to the contemporary EPA, from capacity building for trade and job creation to the more recent emphasis on maritime security cooperation. Costa writes that “the European Union stands by Seychelles in its independent path towards progress and prosperity,” and closes with the line “we can further strengthen our bond for the benefit of our peoples.” It is signed “António Costa, President of the EU Council.”
The congratulatory message is consistent with other formal statements issued for the Golden Jubilee. The African Union Commission Chairperson, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, issued a parallel congratulatory message on the same day, calling the occasion “five decades of nation-building, democratic governance, peace, and sustainable development,” and praising Seychelles’ “steadfast commitment to the ideals of Pan-Africanism, continental integration, and multilateral cooperation.”
The Seychelles MFA last October hosted the inaugural EU-Seychelles Partnership Dialogue under the Samoa Agreement, the framework that now governs the EU’s relationship with the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) for the next two decades, according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs joint press release. The dialogue, co-chaired by Foreign Affairs Minister Sylvestre Radegonde and the EU Ambassador to Seychelles, Oskar Benedikt, identified climate, biodiversity, maritime security, fisheries, and the blue economy as the priority lines of cooperation.
In the context of the anniversary, the EU message situates Seychelles in a regional setting shaped by Gulf-related geopolitical pressure and supply-chain disruption. Costa’s letter explicitly frames these pressures as “a strong reminder of the importance of our trusted relationship.” Seychelles’ largest single economic partner for tuna exports is the European Union through the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement, and the EPA gives duty-free, quota-free access to the EU market for most Seychellois goods.
Seychelles’ 50th anniversary of independence is the country’s first since the change of administration in late 2025. In his 50th anniversary address, President Herminie signalled that climate-resilient development, the blue economy, the digital agenda and human-capital deepening will frame the next five years, themes that line up with the EU’s cooperation priorities under the Samoa Agreement.
By J. Hoareau
📷 Photo: Seychelles News Agency via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 1.0
Sources cited: Seychelles Nation, “EU congratulates Seychelles on 50 years of Independence,” 3 July 2026; State House of Seychelles, “Address by the President on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of independence,” 29 June 2026; African Union, “AU Commission Chairperson Congratulates the Republic of Seychelles on the 50th Anniversary of Independence,” 29 June 2026; Seychelles Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Joint Press Release: Republic of Seychelles – European Union Partnership Dialogue,” 17 October 2024; State House of Seychelles, “30 June declared public holiday as Seychelles marks 50 years of independence,” 18 June 2026.
Source: SN
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