Seychelles gets better deal from EC for fisheries

(Article taken from Seychelles Nation newspaper of 9 February 2009)

President James Michel’s push for Seychelles to get what we deserve from our fisheries bore fruit over the weekend.

The European Commission (EC) will now pay 10.7 million euros in licences and for excess catch for the operations of 40 European vessels which fish in our waters over the next two years.

President Michel has been fighting for a revision of the rates paid by vessels fishing in our waters, and has strongly made our case in such forums as last year’s French Africa Summit in Cannes, France, the Food and Agricultural Organisation meeting in Rome and the Tokyo International Conference for African Development summit.

On September 25 last year, President Michel said at the United Nations General Assembly:“We offer facilities to foreign investors to exploit our natural resources which are traded for high profits on the international market while we receive a pittance as licence fees.

“For instance, of our total value of tuna – our ‘blue gold’ – caught and transhipped in our waters by foreign vessels every year, Seychelles receives only 7% in revenue, comprising licences and transhipment fees. This to my mind is unacceptable. I ask you; is it unreasonable to fight for a better share of the proceeds.”

Fishing licences had been suspended pending conclusion of the talks which were held here last week.The vessels have now resumed fishing, said Veronique Herminie, the principal secretary (PS) for Natural Resources and Transport.
“It was clear throughout the negotiations that the EC appreciated and understood Seychelles’ expectations from its resources and it is through the partnership we have with the EC that we occasionally meet to address issues arising from the protocols of various agreements we have with them,” she said on Saturday.

“Over the past months, Seychelles and the EC have been relooking at licences paid by the 41 EC vessels and possibilities of upgrading the catches from our waters declared by these vessels for the years 2006 and 2007,” she said.

Mrs Herminie said given the importance of the negotiations both parties agreed to delay issuance of licences for the Year 2009 until February 6.

"We have now agreed on the upgrades and Seychelles will receive an additional 1.7 million euros for the two years. The total receipts from the EC and these vessels in the coming weeks shall be 10.7 million euros in licence fees and excess catches,” she said.

Mrs Herminie, who is also the chairperson of the Seychelles Fishing Authority, said the two sides also decided on a road map for the future which shall end in a new framework agreement for the Year 2011.
“The EC and Seychelles shall be meeting in the coming months for analysis and review of certain provisions included in the protocols of the agreements as well as agree on a method of assessment of catch returns submitted by the vessels.”

The PS thanked EC’s director general for international affairs and markets Pierre Amilhat and his team who were here for the successful negotiations.

“I’m sure future talks will be even more fruitful for both parties,” she said.Mr Amilhat said he was happy with the results of the talks and that the European vessels could resume fishing.

He said current fishing agreements with Seychelles will end on January 11, 2011 and talks on their renewal have started, noting such agreements with Mauritius expired before they were renegotiated so at the moment EC vessels are not fishing in Mauritius waters.

EU-Seychelles discussions on fisheries - Press Release by SFA

______________________________________________________

SEYCHELLES FISHING AUTHORITY
P.O Box 449, Fishing Port, Mahé, Republic of Seychelles
Telephone: 670300 Fax: 224508 E-mail: management@sfa.sc

______________________________________________________

1st February 2009


PRESS RELEASE


DISCUSSIONS CONTINUE WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION REGARDING RENEWAL OF FISHERIES LICENSES

Ongoing talks with the European Union officials on the subject of the renewal of fisheries licences for European vessels “are progressing well” according to the Seychelles Fishing Authority.

By joint agreement, the two parties had agreed that the fishing would be put on hold until the 6th February while discussion continued on this subject.

The SFA has explained that Government has recently undertaken a thorough revision of its fisheries policy with a view to improving the governance of the resource as well as maximising revenue derived from the country’s precious fisheries resource. It is in this context that the SFA is engaging the European Commission on the subject of fishing licences to ensure that the future fishing provides control and proper conservation of the resource for future generations as well as compensation for catches which exceed the designated tonnages.

While the discussions are ongoing, no details will be made available. However, the SFA through its Managing Director has noted that “The current discussion provides an opportunity for both parties to build on the existing partnership and create an enhanced cooperating framework”.

The Government has reiterated its desire to valorise its fisheries resource, its ‘blue gold’ in partnership with all stakeholders. “The Government is committed to sustainable development of its fisheries. The ongoing discussions with the EU are situated in this context. We are confident that by the 6th February both parties will be in a better position following the current discussions”, Joel Morgan, Minister for the Environment, Natural resources and Transport, recently commented.

The SFA will be providing further information on the issue after talks have concluded.

Rondolph PAYET
Managing Director

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Symposium sur la Constitution des Seychelles et la réflexion constitutionnelle européenne, le 7 octobre 2008, Parlement européen, Bruxelles,


Un séminaire sur l'avenir de la Constitution des Seychelles a eu lieu le 7 octobre 2008 au Parlement européen à Bruxelles, qui a réuni des représentants de la République des Seychelles, des experts constitutionnalistes européens, des députés membres ainsi que le secrétariat de la commission des affaires constitutionnelles du Parlement européen, et une représentante de la Commission européenne.

L’événement - une initiative de l’Ambassade des Seychelles à Bruxelles - a été organisé dans le cadre d’un exercice national actuellement en cours aux Seychelles, pour évaluer la Constitution des Seychelles vis-à-vis les développements clé survenus depuis son adoption en 1993 sous la 3ème république des Seychelles.

La délégation des Seychelles a été menée par M. Francis MacGregor, le Président de la Cour d’Appel des Seychelles, le président du comité judiciaire pour l’exercice national, et l’ancien ‘Speaker’ de l’Assemblée nationale des Seychelles.

Les points principaux du séminaire :

A titre liminaire, le Président de la commission des affaires constitutionnelles du Parlement européen, M. Joe Leinen, a rappelé que l'Union européenne elle-même était confrontée depuis plusieurs années à des problématiques constitutionnelles, hier avec le Traité constitutionnel, et aujourd'hui avec le Traité de Lisbonne.

M. MacGregor a ensuite brièvement retracé l'histoire de la Constitution et du processus constitutionnel, de la Bible à la démocratie moderne. Puis il a présenté le contexte dans lequel l'exercice national de révision constitutionnelle se déroulait aux Seychelles, et quels étaient les enjeux pour le pays.

Le Professeur Kotzur a quant à lui résumé les dernières évolutions de la pensée constitutionnaliste internationale, et énuméré un certain nombre de perspectives permettant de nourrir le débat concernant la Constitution des Seychelles.

Dans le cadre des débats a notamment été abordée la question du degré de détail nécessaire pour la description des procédures et de la règlementation. Dans la même ligne, la question de la longueur de la Constitution a été soulevée, les intervenants s'accordant sur le fait qu'une Constitution laissait d'autant plus de liberté aux juges chargés de l'interpréter que celle-ci était courte. A cet égard, le fait de rédiger de manière très détaillée le texte pouvait révéler une certaine méfiance vis à vis du juge. Cependant, certains points pouvaient être plus développés que d'autres et l'on pouvait ainsi épouser une "précision à géométrie variable", à l'instar de ce qui avait été fait dans la Constitution américaine.

Par ailleurs, l'opportunité de faire figurer le mode d'élection du Président dans la Constitution a fait l'objet de débats. Il pouvait être utile de ne pas figer le régime dans la Constitution.

Des thèmes tels que l'interprétation des droits de l'homme et la place de la jurisprudence du comité des droits de l'homme des Nations Unies, la liberté d'expression et la transparence, ainsi que les garanties constitutionnelles contre la discrimination ont également été débattus.

Les différentes procédures de réforme constitutionnelle ont été évoquées, ce qui a soulevé la question de savoir qui faisait réellement la Constitution (le législateur, le rapporteur, le peuple). Le déroulement des référendums a fait l'objet de quelques remarques.

Il est apparu à la fin du débat que la Constitution pouvait également représenter un champ au sein duquel pouvait se dérouler les débats politiques. On pouvait insérer des clauses d'ouverture permettant d'intégrer certaines évolutions sans nécessairement réviser l'ensemble de la Constitution.

En conclusion, M. MacGregor s'est dit très satisfait de cette rencontre, qu'il a qualifiée d'expérience riche et utile pour la réflexion en cours aux Seychelles.

Tenue de la 8ème réunion de la commission-mixte Maurice-Seychelles

(Ceci est une reproduction complète d'un article publié sur le site internet Médiaterre - http://www.mediaterre.org/ocean-indien/actu,20080717082321.html )

Portail Ocean Indien, 17/07/08 à 08h23 GMT

La 8ème réunion de la commission mixte Maurice-Seychelles a eu lieu à l'île Maurice du 9 au 10 juillet 2008. Cette rencontre, de niveau ministériel, a vue la participation du Ministre mauricien des Finances et du Développement Économique, M. Rama Sithanen et celui du ministre des Affaires étrangères des Seychelles, M. Patrick Pillay. La commission mixte est tenue dans le cadre de l'accord général, sur la coopération économique, scientifique et technique, signé en 1991 entre les deux pays.

La 8ème session de la commission mixte a permis aux deux parties de passer en revue les progrès accomplis, depuis la dernière rencontre en 2005, dans différents domaines et de dégager de nouveaux axes de coopération et d'harmonisation des positions relevant de la coopération régionale et internationale.

La décision majeure annoncée lors de cette rencontre est la conclusion des discussions sur la délimitation des zones économiques exclusives (ZEE) entre les deux îles avec à la clef la signature d'un accord prévu pour bientôt. A l'issue de cet accord, les deux pays vont soumettre un document conjoint à la Convention des Nations Unies sur le Droit de la Mer (UNCLOS), qui va permettre à chaque pays d'exercer sa souveraineté sur sa zone. Plus spécifiquement, cet accord va permettre de délimiter le Banc de Saya de Malha entre les Seychelles et Maurice. L'accord s'inscrit aussi dans la démarche mauricienne d'assurer son autosuffisance alimentaire à travers les produits de la mer et offre des potentiels de coopération entre les deux pays.

Les autres secteurs de coopération, passés en revue, sont la promotion des petites et moyennes entreprises, la coopération entre les autorités portuaires pour promouvoir le commerce régional, l'exploration de nouvelles opportunités pour l'organisation des croisières, le développement du 'Seafood'. Des nouveaux domaines de coopération identifiés sont le judiciaire, la question de sécurité régionale, les problèmes de la drogue, les secteurs de la poste, de l'éducation et de la jeunesse et des sports.

Au niveau régional, les deux pays ont décidé d'accentuer leur coopération au sein du groupe CMMS (Comores, Madagascar, Maurice et Seychelles) et de la Commission de l'Océan Indien (COI) afin de mieux défendre les intérêts et spécificités des îles de la zone lors des négociations avec l'Union Européenne concernant un Accord de Partenariat Économique (APE) complet. Il y aura une concertation plus étroite dans le cadre de COMESA et la SADC afin de maximiser les opportunités disponibles dans le cadre de l'intégration régionale au sein de ces structures et aussi d'exploiter au maximum les bénéfices proposés par l'Union Européenne dans le cadre du Fonds Européen de Développement et du programme 'Aid for Trade'.
Enfin dans le cadre multilatéral, Maurice et Seychelles se sont convenus de conjuguer leurs efforts pour défendre leurs intérêts sur l'accès du thon au marché Européen et en particulier les conséquences de la réduction de la marge préférentiel de 24% à 7% sur le thon, que les deux pays exportent sur le marché européen. Dans ce contexte, des changements dans les règles d'origines sur le thon exporté vers l'Union Européenne est un sujet de préoccupation pour les deux pays.

Cette 8ème session a été très intense et semble consolider la coopération tant bilatérale que régionale. Souhaitons que cette coopération ira en s'intensifiant et que la coopération culturelle, dont les axes ont déjà été identifiés pour les trois prochaines années, renforcera l'identité indianocéanique par une meilleure connaissance et compréhension entre les deux peuples.

NIP and CSP - Minister of Foreign Affairs’ Dialogue with Parliament

Minister Patrick Pillay, Minister of Foreign Affairs, presented the National Indicative Programme (NIP) and the Country Strategy Paper (CSP) under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) to the National Assembly at its weekly Tuesday sitting of 8th July 2008.

The National Assembly’s International Affairs Committee Chairman, Honorable Waven William, has also informed us that his Committee had had the chance to peruse these documents way back since the beginning of the year.

Whereas the CSP defines the type of cooperation Seychelles, a member state of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group, has with the EU, the NIP defines the types of projects and their timeframe for implementation.

The CSP is drafted through consultations between the EU, represented by the EU Commission Delegation in Mauritius, the Minister of Foreign Affairs as the National Authorizing Officer and national stakeholders. The 2008-2013 CSP drafting process started in 2006 and finished in late 2007 when the document was signed in Lisbon in the margins of the EU-Africa Summit.

Minister Pillay’s dialogue with the National Assembly comes at a time when the 10th EDF has come into force beginning July 2008 now that the requirement for two thirds of ACP countries and all EU Member States to present their instruments of ratification of the revised Cotonou Partnership Agreement, has been met. Seychelles was the second country (after Botswana) that completed the procedures on the ACP side.

Under the CSP, Seychelles is to get a total of €5.9 million from the 10th EDF.

Minister Pillay also informed the National Assembly about EU funding for the water supply master plan. Seychelles is to get funding of €954,000 so it can draw up a master plan to improve and protect its water supplies.
This grant had been approved by the European Union through the African Development Bank. As a first step, a national technical committee to carry out a study on Seychelles’ water supply has already been set up, chaired by Principal Secretary for Environment, Mr. Didier Dogley. Once that has been completed, various environment-related projects aided by the European Development Fund (EDF) can be carried out, including the water plan.

Hon Waven William, MNA for Grand Anse-Mahé, at CTA Brussels Rural Development Briefing on New Players and New Drivers in ACP Rural Development

Photos courtesy of CTA

CTA - The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (ACP-EU) – held its 6th Brussels Briefing on 2nd July 2008 on the theme of “New Players, New Drivers in ACP Rural Development”. Hon Waven William, invited in his capacity as Seychelles Representative to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) and Co-Rapporteur for the JPA’s report on “Effectiveness of Aid and Definition of Public Development Aid”, participated as the Discussant for the third panel of the day.

Some 120 participants, ranging from officials of the European Commission, representatives of Civil Society Organisations and Non-governmental Organisations from Europe and ACP States, to representatives of Permanent Missions of member countries of the European Union and the ACP Group, took an active part in the discussions of the three panels namely (i) “New actors in the global aid system: opportunities and challenges”; (ii) “New donors from the south, new approaches?” and (iii) “Towards coordination, shared responsibility and accountability”.

The 6th Brussels Briefing is part of a series of discussion meetings on key issues and challenges for rural development in the context of EU-ACP cooperation. The 6th Briefing looked at the agricultural and rural development sector in the context of ACP countries, the role of private foundations and the role of “emerging donors” (China, India, Brazil, Japan) in ACP countries. The CTA brought in an interesting array of panellists from the World Bank, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, Concord, the Centre for Chinese Studies at South Africa’s Stellenbosch University, the African Department of the IMF, the European Commission, and the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development, JICA and NEPAD.

The briefing reaffirmed the relevance of the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and, whilst decrying the decreasing levels of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the agricultural sector, insisted on the need to bring back agriculture to the centre of the development agenda, particularly given the spiralling levels of basic food prices. The meeting also recognized that there was a need to develop new partnerships between multilateral institutions and philanthropic foundations whose aid contributions have been significantly increasing, whereas decreases are observed in aid from traditional donors (particularly bilateral agencies) which remain, nonetheless, the biggest contributors to ODA. Yet, some of the “emerging donors” are not really new. China, for instance, classified as a “modest donor”, has had a long term relationship with Africa acting much more like a “partner” than as a “donor”. Indeed, the 2007 Lisbon Africa-EU Summit did build on this approach when Heads of States and Governments adopted ideas and programmes based on the principle of a true partnership between equals. It was agreed that, still, better quality and quantity of aid, better coordination, transparency and greater accountability (including parliamentary) are required. It is hoped that the awareness raised and the rich information exchanged will feed into the Third High-level Forum (HLF-3) in Accra in early September 2008.

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.