Summary:
Seychelles and the European Union have decided to increase their level of collaboration in marine security, a sustainable blue economy, commerce, investment, and environmental and climate change issues. Both parties agreed that greater cooperation was necessary to solve the global crisis and its ongoing effects on poverty, food security, and energy. Seychelles and the European Union (EU) had a candid and meaningful discussion about issues that are important to both parties. The parties reaffirmed their support for the 2nd and 24th of March 2022 UN Resolutions on the aggression against Ukraine. They decided to keep collaborating to promote peace and security at pan-African and regional levels.
The parties agreed to work together for a safer internet and the protection of personal data. They also agreed to press other high-emitting nations to adhere to international climate agreements. The parties discussed the various dangers to the outlook of the world economy. They committed to continue working together to prevent, dissuade, and eradicate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The Seychelles encouraged the EU to strengthen its relationships with the coastal nations of the Indian Ocean and Eastern Africa.
The EU commended Seychelles for being taken off its list of uncooperative tax-related jurisdictions. The EU also urged Seyllies to keep working to comply with global standards for combating money laundering. Both parties understood how crucial it was to maintain collaboration and build resistance to any potential pandemic while the coronavirus pandemic was still occurring. The EU Global Gateway is a sizeable investment package for a robust, inclusive, green digital recovery and transformation. Taking part was a delegation from the EU Naval Force-Operation ATALANTA in Somalia.
Sylvestre Radegonde, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism for Seychelles, and Vincent Desert, the EU Ambassador, co-chaired the 9th Political Dialogue. Both parties expressed pleasure with the strategic partnership’s accomplishments. They decided to increase their level of collaboration in marine security, a sustainable blue economy, commerce, investment, and environmental and climate change issues. They expressed opinions on the effects of the COVID epidemic and the Russian conflict on Ukraine while reiterating their strong commitment to multilateralism, the UN Charter, and the universality of human rights. To increase the resilience of our economies and communities, they concluded that greater cooperation was necessary to solve the global crisis and its ongoing effects, particularly on poverty, food security, and energy.
“Our participation, spanning a wide variety of political, environmental, and socioeconomic issues, allows for an extended discourse confirming our mutual interests and values,” stated Mr. Sylvestre Radegonde, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism. It facilitates development cooperation, supports climate change mitigation, and fortifies strategic alliances in important priority industries.
Recent worldwide occurrences, including a two-year pandemic, global food and energy price inflation, supply chain disruptions, and international and regional conflicts, have made us even more vulnerable. As a result, we will continue to promote the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) fervently, but we also urge your assistance to use your power to secure the MVI’s widespread adoption.
With the help of our partners, we can foster an environment that is favourable to business and investment, remove obstacles to women’s full involvement in all economic sectors, and promote a globally recognised Seychelles brand by supporting the growth of PME industries.
Our conception of the Seychelles is that of a small island nation that is vibrant, active, and full of limitless opportunity. Innovative Seychelles is enduring with a diversified economic foundation and high resilience to external shocks and climate change.
He said to H.E. Mr. Vincent Degert, the European Union’s ambassador to the Republic of Seychelles, “The multiple challenges we face underline with strength that humanity is at risk and that we need more than ever a stronger multilateralism to reinforce cooperation in building and increasing our resilience to be able to tackle current and future crises to come.” In light of this demanding and complex situation, we can better understand the importance of collaboration between the EU and Seychelles. We are both dedicated to multilateralism. A solid devotion to universal core ideals like democracy, the rule of law, freedom, and human dignity can also be a reliable anchor. The alliance between the EU and Seychelles is undoubtedly crucial. It has developed through time and enables us to pursue extensive and fruitful cooperation in many important areas of shared interest, including peace and security, sustainable economic growth, resilience, health, climate change, governance, and human rights.
As a result of the successful conclusion of the most recent Political Dialogue in October 2021, Seychelles and the European Union (EU) had a candid and meaningful discussion about issues that are important to both parties and high on their agendas. The management of the global commons and the development of solid and convergent stances in multilateral fora were agreed upon.
The parties reaffirmed their support for the 2nd and 24th of March 2022 UN Resolutions on the aggression against Ukraine and its humanitarian implications, which called for restoring peace and safety for civilians. They agreed to look into how they could collaborate to support Seychelles’ agricultural sovereignty, renewable energy, and energy efficiency after talking about the effects of the war on global food security and energy pricing. The EU applauded Seychelles for consistently supporting the complete application of the Universal Charter and its fundamental principles at the UN and for urging an end to persistent transgressions of international and humanitarian law. They decided to keep collaborating to promote peace and security at the pan-African and regional levels in light of the numerous conflicts occurring in Africa.
They acknowledged their productive cooperation in the fight against piracy. They emphasised the crucial role of the Regional Centre for Operational Coordination, hosted by Seychelles within the Regional Maritime Surveillance Mechanism, reiterating the significance of safe seas and freedom of navigation for trade and the economy. Additionally, in recognising the EU’s significant contribution to maritime security in the area, they emphasised the significance of the most recent expansion of EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta’s scope of operations to encompass other marine concerns, including drug and arms smuggling and IUU fishing. They stressed the value of regional ownership and expressed appreciation for the ongoing debates that will have a deterrent effect on maritime criminal offences. They also promised to keep working on completing the agreement to improve their cooperation.
They decided to look into methods to cooperate in these areas for a safer internet and the protection of personal data in light of recent risks to the operation of a democratic society, such as cybersecurity and disinformation, in the context of expanding social platform use.
The Seychelles and the EU emphasised the significance of the Paris Agreement’s full implementation while recalling their shared commitment to the 2015 Paris Agreement and taking into account the most recent International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report underlining the “consequences of inactivity.” Seychelles urged the EU’s top officials to press other high-emitting nations to adhere to their obligations under international climate agreements, such as implementing the Paris Agreement and keeping average global temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius. The EU demonstrated its determination to set an example by pledging to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 through the EU Green Deal and by committing to assist partner nations, including tiny island developing states like Seychelles, in implementing their NDCs. In light of this, the EU praised Seychelles for serving as the African Island States Climate Change Commission’s chair (AISCCC). The Parties decided to make an effort to forge solid partnerships in international fora, particularly at the next UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) in Canada in December and the UN Climate Change Conference, COP27, taking place in November in Egypt.
They also discussed Seychelles’ governance and human rights environment and reiterated their commitment to democratic principles and the protection of human rights. The EU reiterated its readiness to continue supporting Seychelles in strengthening the capacity of its administration and in the fight against corruption, noting that Seychelles is seen as a model in Africa for stability, democratic governance, and political change. Seychelles has advanced significantly in this area, as seen by its increased MoIbrahim Index score. The parties also emphasised how important it will be to promote gender equality and combat gender-based violence to finalise the updated Gender Gap Analysis and Gender Country Profile.
The parties discussed the various dangers to the outlook of the world economy. Seychelles informed the EU of its efforts to build a nation with a sustainable, inclusive, digitalized, and diversified economy and requested more assistance in innovation, research, and technology. The Seychelles received praise from the EU for delivering solid financial results and resolving macroeconomic imbalances in a problematic situation. The EU has consistently been a significant business partner for Seychelles, serving as the country’s largest export market, the top source of visitors, and the most consistent source of foreign investment. In the Economic Partnership Agreement context, the EU reaffirmed its support for the Seychelles’ economic diversification and efforts to draw in investment (EPA). The parties noted the current status of the ongoing talks to expand the EPA beyond trade in goods to a more comprehensive agreement to increase bilateral trade and investment flows.
They committed to continue working together to prevent, dissuade, and eradicate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing as part of their strategic collaboration in fisheries. They recalled how the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement supported sustainable fisheries management and promoted artisanal fishing. In the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission’s advocacy for sustainable fishing, the EU emphasised the significance of the Seychelles-EU collaboration (IOTC). To establish a shared stance on issues related to the IOTC, the Seychelles encouraged the EU to strengthen its relationships with the coastal nations of the Indian Ocean and Eastern Africa. The Parties supported a follow-up to this event as a crucial platform for fostering EU-Africa cooperation and promoting a sustainable blue economy in Africa after noting the success of the BlueInvest-Africa initiative, which was organised under the high patronage of the President of the Republic of Seychelles.
The EU commended Seychelles for being taken off its list of uncooperative tax-related jurisdictions. The EU also urged Seychelles to keep working to comply with global standards for combating money laundering and to make the most of its technical support. Thus, the EU reaffirmed its willingness to collaborate with Seychelles in these sectors that are receiving more attention on a global scale. The Seychelles welcomed and thanked the EU for the technical assistance in combating anti-money laundering and addressing strategic gaps in national laws. Still, it also joined the OACPS in criticizing the practice of unilaterally publishing blocklists, which it believes violates the Cotonou Partnership Agreement and harms the reputation and image of developing nations.
Both parties understood how crucial it was to maintain collaboration and build resistance to any potential pandemic while the coronavirus pandemic was still occurring. They admitted that the assistance from Team Europe had improved the epidemiological surveillance in the area. The EU commended Seychelles for handling the sanitary situation effectively and obtaining mutual acceptance of the Digital COVID Certificate, an essential step toward easing travel between Seychelles and the EU. For the world community to collaborate more effectively and respond more effectively in the case of another pandemic, the EU requested Seychelles’ support for the concept of a pandemic treaty.
They talked about the future of their alliance in light of the post-Cotonou Agreement about the European Union and African Union Joint Vision for 2030. They reaffirmed their commitment to putting the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals into practice as the benchmark for a safer, greener, more equitable, and more prosperous future. The EU Global Gateway was another topic of discussion. It is a sizeable investment package for a robust, inclusive, green digital recovery and transformation.
The Seychelles delegation was led by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism Sylvestre Radegonde and included Ministers of Finance, Trade, and National Planning, Mr. Naadir Hassan, Minister of Investment, Industry, and Entrepreneurship Development Ms. Devika Vidot, Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Climate Change Mr. Flavien Joubert, Minister of Sports, Youth, and Family Affairs Mrs Marie-Celine Zialor, Minister of Internal Affairs Mr Errol Fonseka,
Mr. Vincent Degert, EU Ambassador, led the EU delegation. He was accompanied by ambassadors and representatives from nine Member States, including those from Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Romania, Finland, and Sweden. Participating in the Political Dialogue was a delegation from the EU Naval Force-Operation ATALANTA in Somalia.
Analysis by: Advocacy Unified Network
