Joint Press Release : First Partnership Dialogue between the Republic of Seychelles and the European Union

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Mr Sylvestre Radegonde, stated:

- "The inaugural Seychelles-European Union (EU) Partnership Dialogue, held under the Samoa Agreementwill shape the partnership between the EU and the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) over the next 20 years. It is a crucial framework for building a sustainable, peaceful, and inclusive future."

- "Les Seychelles considèrent l'UE comme un partenaire clé dans la promotion du développement durable, de la stabilité régionale et des initiatives liées à l'économie bleue au sein de la Commission de l'océan Indien (COI). À travers une collaboration accrue en matière de sécurité maritime, de résilience climatique et de pêche durable, nous visons à renforcer la prospérité régionale tout en protégeant nos ressources marines."

The Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Seychelles, Mr Oskar Benedikt, stated:

- "In an ever-changing world, mutually fruitful cooperation is not an option; it is a must. We have to work together, join efforts and put solidarity at the top of our agenda. As we strive to secure the future of the forthcoming generations, let us work together to give them a healthy, fairer and safer planet where everyone can leave in peace, freed from any form of violence.We will continue to stand for multilateralism and a rules-based order with the UN Charter and international law at its core. We have an ongoing constructive partnership with the Republic of Seychelles in economic development, security, climate change and environment as well as governance and human rights. In all these areas, our cooperation with various stakeholders in Seychelles is effective and is delivering concrete results to the benefit of populations in Seychelles and beyond. I look forward to scaling up our partnership to address current challenges and prepare for the future ones."

The Dialogue covered a wide range of issues including the EU-Seychelles longstanding partnership, regional and international issues of common concern as well as Seychelles' current Presidency of the Indian Ocean Commission. It confirmed the close and mutually beneficial relation between the EU and the Republic of Seychelles, based on freedom, democracy, rule of law and human dignity.

The parties positively assessed the status of their ongoing bilateral and regional cooperation and discussed the opportunities provided under the new framework that the Samoa Agreement provides for the partnership between the EU and the OACPS.

They also recalled the fundamental values - freedom, democracy, rule of law and human dignity - on which their partnership is based.

SECURITY

Both sides recalled their steadfast commitment to addressing maritime threats in the region, building on the operations of the two regional centres based in Seychelles and Madagascar and their solid alliances with regional and international organisations. They welcomed the signature of the new EU-funded Safe Seas Africa programme in July 2024 to scale up their action for regional maritime security building on the 'acquis' of the MASE programme.

ECONOMY

Recalling that the EU remains the main trading partner for Seychelles, the main source of Foreign Direct Investment and the main source of tourists for Seychelles, the EU reiterated its commitment to continue supporting Seychelles economic pillars notably tourism, fisheries and trade.

They highlighted the importance of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) in support of their solid trade relations and a dynamic fisheries sector. Both sides reiterated their commitment to the sustainable management of oceans in particular in the framework of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission. The EU-Seychelles Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement benefits local communities, fosters the development of Seychelles' fisheries policy and promotes the sustainability dimension. The partnership also supports the fight against IUU (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated) fishing as a key action to protect marine resources.

The EU commended Seychelles' active participation in the negotiations for the deepening of the Economic Partnership Agreement. Both look forward to the successful completion of the negotiation process in the near future.

Confirming the additional grant allocated to Seychelles for the extension and modernisation of Port Victoria, a project supported under a Team Europe approach to the amount of 77 million euros, the EU reiterated its commitment to the smooth implementation of this strategic project for Seychelles economic development.

Seychelles acknowledged the commitment of the EU, the European Investment Bank's (EIB) and theAgence Française de Développementand interest in making the Port extension project a reality.

CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT

The parties reiterated their joint engagement to achieve ambitious and strong commitments at the next COP for Climate change in Azerbaijan. Highlighting the need to access climate funding, they also welcomed the recent accreditation of the Indian Ocean Commission to the Green Climate Fund. The EU commended Seychelles vision to develop a circular economy and was ready to provide assistance as part of the new bilateral cooperation programme - ENSEL.

As regards biodiversity, they both confirmed their commitment to the Kunming-Montreal Global Diversity Framework adopted in 2022. The EU also highlighted that Seychelles was among the selected Small Island Developing States (SIDS) included in a specific demarche on biodiversity as a clear signal of the leadership role that Seychelles plays in this context. Seychelles called for further efforts tobe undertaken at international level to scale up funding for climate crisis mitigation. The same level of importance should be placed to halt the loss of biodiversity as it is being placed towards climate action. In this regard, Seychelles will continue to advocate for funding mechanisms which aim to address the vulnerabilities of SIDS. Consequently, Seychelles calls for wider commitment of the EU member states to support the implementation of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) and amplify the efforts to accelerate the operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund.

The EU commended Seychelles for embarking on a national strategy for a circular economy and confirmed its readiness to assist Seychelles in this area.

GOVERNANCE

Underlining the importance of taxation governance, the EU commended the steadfast commitment of Seychelles to ensure that it is a reliable jurisdiction in the area of taxation. The EU confirmed that work is ongoing with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to provide Seychelles with the necessary support to implement necessary reforms for the supplementary review scheduled in 2025. Seychelles welcomed the support that the EU is providing to the OECD to ensure that Seychelles is ready for the supplementary review in 2025.

Underlining the importance of gender equality, the EU congratulated Seychelles on the appointment of the first female Commissioner of Prison. The EU also commended Seychelles on its action to promote the rights of LGBTIQ people. Seychelles apprised the EU on the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) and on the progress made on antidiscrimination.

The Seychelles delegation was led by Mr Sylvestre Radegonde, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism and comprised of Mr Jean-Francois Ferrari- Designated Minister and Minister for Fisheries and the Blue Economy, Mr Naadir Hassan- Minster for Finance, National Planning and Trade, Mr. Errol Fonseka- Minister for Internal Affairs, Mr Anthony Derjacques- Minister for Transport, Mrs Devika Vidot- Minister for Investment, Entrepreneurship and Industry, Mr Flavien Joubert- Minister for Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment, Mrs Patricia Francourt- Minister for Employment and Social Affairs, Mr Mike Morel- Principal Secretary for Youth, Sports and Family, Ms May De Silva- Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission, Mrs Manuella Amesbury- Chief Electoral Officer of the Electoral Commission, Mrs Janet Georges- Commissioner of Prisons of the Seychelles Prison Service and Ms Kahaki Jere- Principal State Counsel from the Attorney General's Office.

The EU delegation, which was led by Mr Oskar Benedikt, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Seychelles, included ambassadors and representatives from nine EU Member states, namely H.E. Mr Miroslav Kosek, Ambassador of the Czech Republic, H.E. Mr Sebastian Groth, Ambassador of Germany, H.E. Ms Nicola Brennan, Ambassador of Ireland, H.E. Ms Olivia Berkeley-Christmann, Ambassador of France, H.E. Mr Henk Jan Bakker, Ambassador of the Netherlands, H.E. Mr Mirosław Gojdź, Ambassador of Poland, H.E. Mr Pirkka Tapiola, Ambassador of Finland, H.E. Ms. Caroline Vicini, Ambassador of Sweden as well as Mr Guenther Zimmer from the Embassy of Austria. Vice Admiral Ignacio Villanueva, Miguel Jerónimo Perales Garat, Commander (OF-4) Armada Española and Mr Marcel Kaal from EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta as well as Mr Sanders Van Kooten from the European Investment Bank also participated in the Partnership Dialogue