Seychelles and the European Union have reached a deadlock after their Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement expired on Monday, 23 February 2026. However, Seychelles expect a fifth round of negotiations.
The fisheries partnership began in 1987. Under the expired agreement, 21 tuna fishing vessels flying the European Union flag can no longer fish in Seychelles waters under the quota set by the deal.
However, the Minister for Fisheries and the Blue Economy, Wallace Cosgrow, said the vessels can still cross Seychelles’ Exclusive Economic Zone. They can also unload fish at Port Victoria, carry out transhipment, and refuel. Meanwhile, tuna vessels flying the Seychelles flag will continue fishing to supply Indian Ocean Tuna Limited.
Mr Cosgrow said Seychelles will not receive financial benefits from fisheries activities until both sides reach a mutual understanding.
He noted the fisheries partnership between Seychelles and the EU dates back 42 years. He said the EU remains an important partner in the fisheries sector and the agreement is important for Seychelles. Therefore, the government aims to secure maximum benefits through negotiations.
Mr Cosgrow said the European Union has not yet matched Seychelles’ demands or presented an offer close to what the country is requesting. Seychelles is seeking a 30% increase over the current agreement.
“The government outsourced a consultant to analyse the partnership and we received propositions to look at inflation costs over the years with the current operations and staffing of the Seychelles Fisheries Authority. We felt that the revenue to be collected with that resource needs to increase significantly or at least to cover costs that the country has incurred over the years,” said Mr Cosgrow.
He said Seychelles presented the proposal to the European Union. After several negotiations, the EU returned with what he described as a “too low” offer of a 3% increase. Therefore, Seychelles did not agree.
Mr Cosgrow said both sides have agreed on most clauses of the fisheries agreement. However, they have not reached agreement on the access fee.
“The most contentious clause of the agreement is regarding the access fee that we receive from the European Union per year. We have not yet come to an agreement and we would like to get more than we are receiving to date. That is why we want to initiate another round of negotiation to get more out of the agreement,” he said.
Mr Cosgrow said he believes the deadlock will be resolved. However, he added that Seychelles will explore alternatives to generate revenue from its fisheries resources if no agreement is reached.
“If need be, we will not sign. We will see. However, negotiations are still open and both sides have good intentions so that this negotiation is completed and an agreement is signed,” said Mr Cosgrow.
He added that negotiations should resume as soon as possible.
Under the expired agreement, Seychelles received €5.3 million per year in revenue.
Mr Cosgrow also said Seychelles is exploring other fisheries agreements with Oman, South Korea, Kenya and Tanzania. He added that Seychelles already has an agreement with China.
“We will explore all possibilities to cover the revenue gap that the EU agreement brings if ever we don’t come to an understanding,” he said.