The European Union has affirmed its readiness to engage constructively and transparently with concerns raised by Gabon over recent months, according to a statement from the organization’s office in Gabon.

In June 2025, President Brice Oligui Nguema declared his intention to initiate a “unilateral denunciation procedure” for these agreements, characterizing the existing partnership as “profoundly unbalanced” and requiring renegotiation.

The European Union assures its preparedness to negotiate a “new generation Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement” alongside a “mutually beneficial new implementation protocol.” This forward-looking approach aims to establish a “renewed, balanced, and effective framework.”

The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA), initially established between the European Union and Gabon in 2007, has historically granted European vessels the right to fish within Gabonese maritime territories.

During a cabinet meeting last June, the Gabonese government detailed the President’s observations, highlighting that the revenues generated from the agreement failed to adequately compensate for the true value of the fish caught. Furthermore, the accord did not cover the state’s significant surveillance and control expenditures, nor did it address the lost added value resulting from the absence of local processing facilities.

The President also criticized the inadequate investments made by partners towards local development, job creation, and strengthening national capabilities. Concerns were further raised regarding the heightened risk of overexploitation of fishery resources, attributed to a lack of shared transparency and scientific monitoring mechanisms.

The SFPA underwent several renewals, with the most recent extension in 2021 for a five-year period. The Gabonese Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimated the agreement’s total value at approximately 17 billion CFA francs (around 26 million euros).