Seychelles celebrates National Day 2008 in Brussels and Luxembourg

All photos, courtesy of Alec Singh.


Seychelles Embassy in Brussels celebrated National Day with a difference this year, first in Brussels and then in Luxembourg.

On the day itself Seychellois nationals and foreign guests from EU institutions and Member States, as well as from Belgium and the ACP Group, met at the B52, a prestigious location in the heart of Brussels. Guests were splashed with an art exhibition which came all the way from Seychelles and Creole food blended in Belgian cuisine under the skilled hands of Christelle Verheyden, Gastronomist and owner of B52.

Emanuel d’Offay, CEO of the National Arts Council (NAC), was personally present to introduce our guests to the Seychellois artists who had with the assistance of NAC, the Embassy of Seychelles in Brussels, ISPC and Mr. Alfred-Alain Foucroy, the main sponsors of the evening, contributed to the forty work pieces that adorned the walls of B52. Thus, under the theme of “Seychelles: The Contemporary Art Environment”, our guests would have another taste of Seychelles other than the idyllic sun, sands, sea and lush vegetation, through the eyes, minds and diverse techniques of Emmanuel himself, Nigel Henry, Egbert Marde, Georges Camille, Alain Ernesta, Jude Ally, Colbert Nourice, Alain Samson and, of course, Christine Chetty.

The main highlight of the event was when Ambassador Barry Faure, presented on behalf of Government, a painting by Nigel Henry to the ACP Group represented by H.E. Ambassador Moussa, President of the ACP Committee of Ambassadors and Sir John Kaputin, the Secretary General.

The second event took place at the Cercle Münster, in prestigious surroundings in the old part of Luxembourg. The event attracted guests from all levels of society from the Court of the Grand-Duke of Luxembourg to Government, the Legislature, the European Parliament and other EU institutions as well as the private sector. No other than the President of the Club, Maitre André Schwachtgen, also Seychelles Honorary Consul in Luxembourg, opened the event. On the eve of the National Day of Luxembourg as well as the anniversary of the Grand Duke, Ambassador Faure invited guests to join him to make a toast to the health of the Grand Duke and to long life to the excellent relations between Luxembourg and Seychelles.

This evening was the first time the National Day had actually been celebrated in Luxembourg and in honour of the event our guests were treated to the best of Cercle Münster’s cuisine, which, like at the B52, dazzled us with their Creole talents. Again, like in Brussels, the work of our artists “Seychelles: The Contemporary Art Environment” was displayed by the National Arts Council.

Ambassador Faure, speaking on behalf of the President at both events, took the opportunity to inform guests that a Symposium to review the Constitution of Seychelles in light of developments in the international context, was planned to take place in the last quarter of the year in Brussels in line with the year’s theme: “Our Constitution; The Voice of our Nation”.

These two events would not have been possible without the collaboration of a number of persons and agencies and our Embassy staff would like to record their appreciation by naming them here:

Brussels:

Our Honorary Consul General in Belgium, Mr. Philippe de Baets, Mr. Alfred-Alain Foucroy and ISPC, Ms. Christelle Verhaygen of B52, Managing Director of ISPC Seychelles, Mr. Xavier Heinen, also Honorary Consul for Belgium in Seychelles, Air Seychelles, Mr. Philos Emond, Mr. Jacques Matombe, and Messrs. Radley Webber and Joe Tirant of Oceana Fisheries.

Luxembourg:

Our Honorary Consul in Luxembourg, Maitre André Schwachtgen, and the Association Amitiés Luxembourg-Seychelles.

Press Release - Signing of the Agreement on the Provisional Application of the Amendments to the Protocol of the FPA between Seychelles and EU

The European Union (EU) and Seychelles have today signed the agreement on the provisional application of the amendments to the Protocol of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA). The signing of this agreement was done in Brussels, Belgium between Ms. Mary Veronica Tovšak Pleterski and Ambassador Barry Faure who, respectively, were representing the European Council and the Government of Seychelles.

The Protocol, which sets out the fishing opportunities (expressed in EU vessel numbers) and the financial contribution (by EU) for the period from 18 January 2005 to 17 January 2011, was amended following negotiations between Seychelles and the EC held from 20th – 21st March 2007 in Brussels. The amended Protocol was initialed by both Parties at the conclusion of the negotiation (on 21st March 2007) and has been in provisional application, pending its entry into force, since 18th January 2008.

The amendments made to the Protocol constitute of increases in the reference tonnage and financial contribution. As a result of the good level of catches, the reference tonnage was increased from 55,000 tonnes to 63,000 tonnes. An increase was made in the annual financial contribution as from 18th June 2008, representing an amount of EUR 5,355,000 compared with EUR 4,125,000 per annum for the first three years of the Protocol’s duration. The increased annual financial contribution of EUR 5,355,000 comprises EUR 4,095,000 equivalent to the new reference tonnage (of 63,000 tonnes per year) and EUR 1,260,000 (per year) for the support and implementation of the Seychelles’ sectoral fisheries policy.

It is to be recalled that the Seychelles-EU FPA was negotiated and concluded in 2004 to replace the previous bilateral fisheries agreement between the two parties, and is the largest tuna fisheries protocol ever signed by the EU with a third country. FPAs are the EU’s new generation of bilateral fisheries agreements. According to the EU, the main objective of introducing the FPAs to replace its previous bilateral fisheries agreements was to provide for improved economic, financial, technical and scientific cooperation in the fisheries sector with a view to conserving and achieving sustainable exploitation of the resources.

In this connection, the Government of Seychelles intends to carry out a comprehensive review of all the fisheries agreements it has concluded thus far with a view to ensuring that Seychelles obtains maximum yields from its fishery resources while undertaking the necessary measures for sustainable exploitation of these resources.

87th Session of the ACP Council of Ministers adopts Resolution on Fisheries

The ACP Council of Ministers adopted a resolution on fisheries during its 87th session, which was taking place recently in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 8th – 11th June 2008.

Among other things, the Resolution which was introduced to the Council by Seychelles, calls for a first meeting of the ACP ministers responsible for fisheries to be convened not later than in the first quarter of the year 2009, with the primary objective of establishing a ministerial mechanism for ACP coordination and cooperation on fisheries issues.

The proposal for the establishment of such an ACP ministerial mechanism was initiated by Seychelles following an ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) fact-finding mission to the country in April 2008. (An article on the said JPA fact-finding mission was posted on this blog on 5th June 2008.)

The ACP Press Statement on the subject is reproduced below (this can also be accessed from the ACP official website - to go to it click here)

ACP PRESS STATEMENT 5 - ACP adopts resolution on establishing a Ministerial Mechanism for fisheries

June 11 2008

The African, Caribbean and Pacific 87th Council of Ministers adopted a resolution today (June 11), which calls for responsible fishing, and implementation of effective management, conversation and control practices in ACP States as well as the establishment of a Ministerial Mechanism for fisheries, no later than the first quarter of 2009.

The resolution, which was tabled by Seychelles, had the backing of the ACP Group, especially those who have stake in fisheries.
Delivering the resolution on behalf of his minister, Seychelles’ Ambassador to Brussels, His Excellency Mr. Barry Faure, said: “The resolution comes at an opportune time when we have reached a critical point in our paths for sustained social development and economic growth.”

He said it is a known factor that the fisheries sector, whether wild or marine and inland fisheries, plays a significant role in the economic and social development of major – not only coastal and island ACP countries, but also landlocked.
Mr Faure noted that fisheries sector contributes considerably to the social-economic development of the concerned ACP countries by providing food security and cheap source of protein.

“This sector constitutes a prominent economic pillar for many of these countries, which is attested by its important contribution to total income, foreign exchange earnings and employment,” Mr Faure said.
The Ambassador went on to say that for some small island countries like Seychelles, fish resources are their only natural resources and can be exploited economically in a significant manner.

However, he said, the rate of renewability is greatly influenced by human actions.
“This very fact requires us to be positive in our actions towards how we exploit our valuable fishery resources if we intend to reach an optimal outcome; an outcome where the yields spread over a long term horizon,” he said.
And he cautions that the reality is that fisheries is unattainable if “we fail to engage in, promote and require for responsible fishing, and implement effective management, conservation and control practices.”

ACP Ministers and senior officials who spoke on the motion had given their backing to the resolution.
Seychelles has also offered to host the first meeting of ACP ministers in charge of fisheries.

Details contact:
Robert Iroga
Attaché de Presse
African, Caribbean and Pacific Secretariat
451 Avenue Georges Henri
1200 Brussels
Tel: +32 2 743 0617
GSM: + 25 (0) 912 2008 08 (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
Fax : +32 2 735 55 73
Email: iroga@acp.int

JPA Fact-finding Mission on the Tuna Industry in the ACP

All photos, courtesy of the Seycheels Fishing Auhtority.

Between April 25 and 27 2008, the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) fielded a high-level parliamentary delegation to Seychelles to undertake a fact-finding mission there with the participation of fisheries experts from Kenya and Mauritius.

Mrs. Glenys Kinnock, MEP (UK Labour/Socialsit Group) and Wilkie Rasmussen (Foreign Minster, Cook Islands), Co-Presidents of the JPA, leading the delegation, spoke to the local press in Seychelles about the outcome of their visit to Seychelles.

One of the main outcomes, they said, was that there was a need for a mechanism for coordination on fisheries matters at the level of the ACP group as they had found that there was much room for improvement in the way the ACP countries were handling their relations with the EU on various questions from the Fisheries Partnership Agreements to Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards, Ilegal, Unregulated and Unreported Fishing and the Rules of Origin, amongst others.

The challenge, thus, is for the ACP to move towards institutionalizing a mechanism for fisheries at the forthcoming ACP Council due to take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, between 9th and 11th June 2008. The good news is that the matter already features as an item on the agenda for that meeting and a draft resolution has been prepared for consideration of Council.

Small Island States & Global Climate Change and other environmental issues - Interview by Dr. Rolph Payet, Special Adviser to the President