Follow us on:

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube

Archive -Seychelles

Interview with H.E. Marjaana Sall, ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Seychelles |20 June 2018

 

 

 

 

‘For the EU and Seychelles, ocean governance is a priority’

 

Last year Seychelles and the European celebrated 40 years of partnership. Currently in the country on a working visit, the EU ambassador to Seychelles, Marjaana Sall, elaborates on this partnership in the following interview.

 

1.                    Can you tell us about the Seychelles-EU partnership?

The European Union (EU) and the Republic of Seychelles have built a longstanding partnership. Last year, we celebrated 40 years of our relationship. Obviously, our partnership has changed over the years. Taking account of Seychelles’ development stage, it has now evolved beyond the traditional “development aid” logic and reflects new opportunities and global challenges. Today, we work together in a number of key areas which represent common priorities, including maritime security, fisheries and the Blue Economy, climate change and trade and investment. We also have a political dialogue on an annual basis where we review our cooperation and discuss about how we can continue to work together to address issues of common interest.

 

2.                    What are the main areas in which the EU and Seychelles have cooperated during those 40 years?

The EU has been partnering with the government of Seychelles in various sectors, such as maritime security, fisheries, environmental protection, capacity building of civil society organisations, and education. We have supported the government’s economic reform programme from 2009 to 2012. We have also funded the sanitary landfill at Providence which is the first state-of-the-art facility to treat leachate and hence reduce underground pollution and protect groundwater supply. This is an important project in favour of the environment and public health. As of now, Seychelles has received 650 million Seychelles Rupees (40 million euros) in terms of bilateral development aid from the EU. But this does not give the full picture as in addition to the bilateral programmes, we also support various other areas including maritime security and trade facilitation from EU-funded regional programmes. And as I said, today our partnership covers Trade and Investment, in particular with the implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).

 

3.                    You mentioned Trade and Investment. Do Seychelles and the EU have strong trade links?

The European Union remains Seychelles' top trading partner. Seychelles’ exports to the EU represent 57.2% of its total exports (2017). The EU is also Seychelles' largest source of tourist arrivals. In order to consolidate our trade relationship, we signed an Economic Partnership Agreement in 2009. We are working with the government to support Seychelles in taking full advantage of this agreement which provides duty- and quota-free access for Seychelles' exports to the EU market. I am happy to say that we have just signed a new project of approximately 730 million Seychelles Rupees to support the implementation of the EPA. It will reinforce capacities of key institutions dealing with trade, support the private sector to diversify into new high-value products with high export potential, and allow the creation of a Seychelles 'brand' to enhance the marketability of Seychelles products on the international market. This will contribute to both economic growth and job creation.

We also provide support for infrastructure with a regional scope. I was here in April for the signature of a grant agreement of 80 million Seychelles Rupees (5 million euros) for the Port Victoria rehabilitation and extension project. This shows that the EU continues to accompany Seychelles in its regional integration agenda. The Port Victoria project is one of the first projects in the Indian Ocean region to be funded through the Africa Investment Facility, which is part of the European External Investment Plan – an ambitious plan launched by the EU to promote investment in Africa. This project will help boost investment in the Seychelles. It will also have a positive social impact and create new job opportunities.

 

4.                    Seychelles is a High Income Country: does this mean that there is no more development cooperation?

As you can see, development cooperation between the EU and Seychelles is still ongoing. Our bilateral programme up to 2020 provides assistance to the government to formulate projects to implement its Sustainable Development Strategy 2012 – 2020.

We partner with the government to adapt to climate change and develop resilience to its effects with a programme that has two key objectives. One is to assist government in better mainstreaming of climate change in sector strategies. The other objective is to restore wetlands on La Digue and hence to address problems of coastal erosion and flooding.

We also support civil society organisations. We support the Citizens Engagement Platform Seychelles (Ceps) in two areas: i) to assist in increasing fairness, transparency and civic participation in the democratic elections process, and ii) to combat gender based violence and drug abuse. In April 2018, I attended the ceremony of signature of a memorandum of understanding between Ceps and the Drugs Enforcement Agency which will allow both organisations to join forces in order to combat gender based violence and drug abuse.

We also support Transparency Initiative Seychelles to improve good governance, transparency and accountability. In April 2018, Transparency Initiatives Seychelles (TIS) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Anti-Corruption Commission Seychelles (ACCS). This will help them to carry out the outreach programme to all school children on the three islands.  The signature of this MoU is important as it promotes the collaboration between the civil society and the government.

Moreover, our partnership with the Republic of Seychelles spans wider than our bilateral cooperation. Indeed, as member of Comesa, IOC and SADC, Seychelles also benefits from EU-funded regional programmes. Some of these programmes are the maritime security programme known as the MaSe, the Biodiversity programme and the Energies programme implemented by the Indian Ocean Commission. Seychelles is a beneficiary of technical assistance provided by the International Monetary Fund under the AFRITAC South Centre. I have had the opportunity to meet with many Seychellois participants in training sessions held in Mauritius.

 

5.                    You mentioned a climate adaptation project on La Digue. Seychelles like other small island developing states is particularly vulnerable to climate change. How does the EU support Seychelles?

The EU is well aware the consequences of climate change particularly on most vulnerable countries. We are committed like Seychelles to implement the Paris Agreement. This week marks the European Climate Diplomacy Week. It is an opportunity for us to reaffirm our strong commitment to step up international cooperation on climate change in 2018 which is a crucial year for Paris Agreement implementation. We will continue to work with Seychelles in the area of climate change adaptation and mitigation. I have already mentioned an important programme that is ongoing, and notably the action to restore wetlands on La Digue which will contribute to protect the local population against the risks of flooding.

 

6.                    The Blue Economy is a key priority for Seychelles. How do you cooperate in this area?

Since 1987, we have built a solid partnership in the area of fisheries with the signing of successive Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements. Today, Seychelles is one of our most important partners in the Indian Ocean region and the second exporter of processed tuna to the EU market.

The agreements are accompanied by EU financial contributions covering the access rights (to allow EU vessels to fish in the Seychelles waters) and a specific support to the fisheries sector with a priority put on small and medium scale fishing activities. Fisheries Partnership Agreements represent a transparent and mutually beneficial tool to enhance fisheries governance. For example, under those agreements, EU has funded the construction of four fish processing units at Bel Ombre and the construction of a fish market and gear store on La Digue which will benefit artisanal fishermen.

For the EU and Seychelles, ocean governance is a priority. Last October, the President of the Republic of Seychelles participated in the 'Our Ocean' conference that the EU had organised in Malta. It was an important event that has generated an unprecedented level of ambition to promote healthy and secure oceans.

We continue to work together to tackle Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, notably with the Regional Fisheries Monitoring Plan implemented by the Indian Ocean Commission.

We also share a common concern which is plastic pollution. The EU has just introduced new rules targeting single-use plastic as a way to significantly reduce marine litter. And I know that the government has introduced bold measures to reduce the use of plastic as a way to preserve Seychelles’ pristine environment, including the recent ban on the importation of Styrofoam lunch boxes and plastic bags, plates, cups and cutlery.

 

7.                    One aspect of the Blue Economy is maritime security. How do you see Seychelles' involvement? How do you support Seychelles?

Seychelles has assumed a key role in this region to promote maritime security. As an example, Seychelles has chaired the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) from 2016 to 2017. In fact, it is the EU that handed over the chairmanship of this international group to Seychelles at the end of its two-year mandate. Seychelles is also hosting the Regional Coordination Operational Centre which is pivotal for a more effective and coordinated fight against piracy in this region.

The EU and Seychelles have built a solid partnership in the fight against piracy and promotion of regional maritime security. During the ministerial conference organised in Mauritius in April this year, the EU announced an additional funding of 80 million Seychelles Rupees to support the operationalisation of the regional centre in Seychelles as well as the regional centre in Madagascar. This is an important signal of EU's commitment to continue to support countries of the region in promoting safety and security at seas and oceans - which are important prerequisites for prosperity and peace. Seychelles authorities have also built a strong relationship with EU NAVFOR counter-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia, which regularly undertake port visits here in Seychelles and provides training and capacity building to Seychelles’ maritime authorities.

Seychelles is also one of the countries covered by the CRIMARIO programme. For instance, the programme supports the design and implementation of a regional platform for information sharing and incident management in the Indian Ocean. The first training on how to use the platform was held in Seychelles in April 2018.

Moreover, the EU is planning a new regional programme on Port and Maritime Security and Maritime Safety that will involve a dozen countries, including all the member states of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC).

 

8.                    What have you seen on the ground?

Whenever I visit Seychelles, it is important for me to meet people and to discuss with them. On my first visit in 2015, I had the opportunity to meet the Seychelles Alliance for Women Development in their offices at Providence on how they have benefited from training and assistance to set up their small businesses with EU support. I have had the opportunity to visit La Digue and to meet several families there to talk about how they feel about the effects of climate change.  I was very happy to meet children at Au Cap primary school and to award trophies to the winners of the 'My Island of Tomorrow' drawing contest that the EU had launched in 2016. Au Cap primary school was among three schools that have received EU funding for renovations and rehabilitation after the damages caused by the tropical storm Felleng.

 

9.                    What about the future of our relations?

The current ACP-EU Partnership Agreement (the so-called Cotonou Agreement), which was signed on June 23, 2000, will expire in February 2020. The expiry of the Agreement provides the opportunity to modernise the EU- ACP partnership while taking into account the current global context. The EU is determined to strengthen and reinforce its relationship with the ACP even further and to conclude an ambitious political partnership. Such a partnership will allow us to jointly address our common challenges and opportunities such as tackling climate change and the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

In addition to this, the negotiation for a new Fisheries Agreement between the EU and Seychelles will be officially launched in the course of 2018 and I am confident that our long-standing common history on tuna fishing will continue.

The EU and Seychelles share several common interests such as maritime security, climate change, fisheries, promotion of good governance and regional economic integration. I look forward to continuing our engagement in a true spirit of partnership with the government of Seychelles, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.

 

10.                 Concluding remarks

I would like to say that it is always a great pleasure to visit Seychelles obviously because the country is so beautiful. Sesel i en zoli pei. Moreover, I see how our partnership in areas of mutual interest such as maritime security, fisheries and ocean governance, as well as climate change is delivering results. Also I would like to conclude by saying that for the first time, I had the opportunity to participate in the celebration of Constitution Day on June 18. I am truly honoured to have attended this important event, in particular as this was the celebration of the Silver Jubilee of the Constitution.

 

 

 

 

 

» Back to Archive