VICTORIA, Seychelles, June 12, 2026/APO Group/ —
On 10 June 2026 in Balaclava, Mauritius, the European Union and four Eastern and Southern African States – Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles – announced the successful conclusion of negotiations to deepen the existing EU – ESA Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) into a modern and comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA). This was achieved through the signing of a joint statement marking the conclusion of the negotiations. The statement confirms that the parties are fully aligned on the agreed outcomes and that no premature commitments or representations will be made before the completion of the formal processes of legal review, signing, and ratification of the agreement.
The Agreement, the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa, encompasses trade in goods and services, investment, digital trade, and sectoral cooperation, while promoting local processing, industrial transformation, value addition, and sustainable development.
Building on the interim Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which was signed in 2009 and entered into force in 2012, with the Comoros acceding in 2019, the new Agreement deepens and broadens a partnership that already grants duty-free and quota-free access for ESA exports to the EU market. Significantly, negotiations to deepen the Agreement were launched in Balaclava on 2 October 2019, making the successful conclusion of negotiations at the same venue on 10 June 2026 a notable milestone in the evolution of EU–ESA relations.
Following seven years of negotiations, the parties will now proceed with legal scrubbing and the necessary steps towards the signature and entry into force of the Agreement.
The Seychelles delegation was led by Minister Veronique Laporte and included Ambassador Kenneth Racombo, Principal Secretary Natalie Edmond, Director General Ricky Barbe, and Principal Trade Officer Aissata Dia.