COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE EVALUATION on the implementing Protocol of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Seychelles Accompanying the document Recommendation for a COUNCIL DECISION authorising the opening of the negotiations on behalf of the European Union for the conclusion of an Implementing Protocol to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Seychelles
Date: 2025-06-04
Institutions: Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, European Commission
Subjects: European Commission, Seychelles, catch area, fishing agreement, fishing rights, negotiation of an agreement (EU), powers of the institutions (EU), protocol to an agreement, ratification of an agreement, sea fishing, sustainable fisheries

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   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 4.6.2025  SWD(2025) 137 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE EVALUATION  on the implementing Protocol of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Seychelles Accompanying the document Recommendation for a  COUNCIL DECISION authorising the opening of the negotiations on behalf of the European Union for the conclusion of an Implementing Protocol to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Seychelles {COM(2025) 269 final} - {SWD(2025) 136 final}  
 
 
As part of the external dimension of the EU's Common Fisheries Policy1 (CFP), the Commission 
negotiates  and  implements  protocols  for  implementing  Sustainable  Fisheries  Partnership 
Agreements (SFPAs) with third countries.  

SFPAs  create  a  legal,  environmental,  economic,  and  social  governance  framework  for  fishing 
activities carried out by EU fishing vessels in third-country waters. In return, the EU provides a 
partner country with financial compensation for access to its waters and financial support for the 
implementation of a national strategy on fisheries and the blue economy.  

The EU's contribution is supplemented by fees payable by EU vessel owners. In accordance with 
Article  31(10)  of  the  CFP  Basic  Regulation,  the  European  Commission  shall  ensure  that 
independent  ex-ante  and  ex-post  evaluations  are  carried  out  for  each  protocol  to  a  sustainable 
fisheries partnership agreement, before submitting a recommendation to the Council to authorise 
the opening of negotiations for a new protocol. 

This Working Document (SWD) provides an ex-ante and ex-post evaluation of the application of 
the latest Implementing Protocol (hereinafter referred to as the “Implementing Protocol”) to the 
Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the EU and Seychelles (hereinafter referred 
to as the “Agreement”). These evaluations are mainly based on an independent evaluation study 
carried out by an external consultant2. 

The ex-post evaluation covers most of the period of application of the Implementing Protocol to 
the  Agreement,  which  runs  from  February  2020  to  February  2026.  It  provides  an  overall 
assessment of the Implementing Protocol and demonstrates that it has been generally successful in 
achieving  its  main  objectives,  which  include:  providing  fishing  opportunities  for  EU  fishing 
vessels  in  important  fishing  areas;  establish  a  legal  framework  for  fishing  operations  based  on 
principles of economic, financial, technical and scientific cooperation in the fisheries sector with 
the aim of ensuring the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fishery resources; and provide 
the means for action in Seychelles through capacity building. 

The  ex-ante  evaluation  analyses  the  relevant  objectives  the  Implementing  Protocol,  taking  into 
account  the  current  and  future  needs  of  this  intervention.  It  examines  the  lessons  learned  from 
previous  Implementing  Protocols  and  the  results  of  the  ex-post  evaluation  of  the  current 
Implementing  Protocol.  Finally,  taking  into  account  these  results,  it  examines  and  draws 
conclusions regarding the possible impacts of the following two options: 

• the negotiation of a new Implementing Protocol; 

• no negotiation with a view to concluding a new Implementing Protocol. 

According to the ex-ante evaluation, the preferred option is the negotiation of a new Implementing 
Protocol. As regards access and the technical component, this new protocol would aim to ensure 
better  alignment  between  negotiated  fishing  opportunities  and  the  effective  use  of  these 
opportunities  in  order  to  increase  the  effectiveness  of  EU  investments. As  regards  the  sectoral 

1 Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the 
Common Fisheries Policy 
2 Ex-post and ex-ante evaluation study of the 2020-2026 protocol to the sustainable fisheries partnership agreement 
(SFPA) and of a possible Protocol implementing the SFPA between the European Union and Seychelles - 
Publications Office of the EU 

 
 
 
support component, the emphasis would be placed on supporting the implementation of Seychelles 
fisheries  and  aquaculture  policies,  on  strengthening  cooperation  on  monitoring,  control  and 
surveillance and science.