MEPs assess EU Seychelles fisheries partnership impact as SFPA negotiations continue and delegation reviews tuna sector control and sustainability
Delegation Travels to Victoria Amid SFPA Negotiations
Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries will travel to Victoria from 17 to 19 February to assess the impact of fisheries partnership agreements between the European Union and the Republic of Seychelles.
The visit comes as negotiations continue on the current sustainable fisheries partnership agreement, SFPA, between the EU and Seychelles. Six MEPs will examine progress on sustainable fishing practices, fisheries control, data collection, and efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
The first day of the mission will focus on high-level meetings, including discussions with President Dr Patrick Herminie, the Speaker of the National Assembly, members of the International Affairs Committee, and the Minister of Fisheries.
Site Visits to Monitor Control and Compliance
On the second day, the delegation will conduct on-the-spot visits to key facilities, including a purse seiner facility at Fishing Port North, a cannery processing Indian Ocean tuna, a weighing operator, a cold storage facility, and the Seychelles Fisheries Authority and its fisheries monitoring centre.
According to the Committee, the purpose of the visits is to gain a clearer understanding of how Seychelles is implementing the EU Fisheries Control Regulation.
MEPs are also scheduled to meet EU tropical purse seine operators and, on the final day of the visit, the executive secretary of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission. During their programme, they will visit two fisheries facilities built with the support of the EU-Seychelles SFPA, where they are expected to meet representatives of artisanal fisheries organisations.
Giuseppe Milazzo MEP, head of delegation, said, “The Republic of Seychelles is a key partner of the EU in the Indian Ocean, and a strategic actor in the global tuna industry. We look forward to continue our dialogue on sustainable fisheries management, and to further strengthen our mutually beneficial relationship.”
Financial Significance of the Agreement
Seychelles plays a central role in global tuna fisheries management and is an important actor within the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission framework.
Under the EU-Seychelles SFPA, EU vessels are granted access to Seychelles waters in return for a financial contribution of €5.3 million per year. Of that, €2.8 million is allocated to supporting the sustainable development of Seychelles’ fisheries policy. The agreement is described as the most financially significant EU tuna partnership.
Separately, the EU and Seychelles have signed an agreement allowing Seychelles fishing vessels access to the waters of Mayotte.
The delegation comprises Giuseppe Milazzo MEP, European Conservatives and Reformists, Italy, Francisco José Millán Mon MEP, European People’s Party, Spain, Paulo do Nascimento Cabral MEP, European People’s Party, Portugal, Sakis Arnaoutoglou MEP, Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, Greece, Emma Wiesner MEP, Renew Europe, Sweden, and Siegbert Frank Droese MEP, Europe of Sovereign Nations, Germany.
