Gabon and European Union discuss new fishing agreement after previous accord denounced by Libreville
via Gabon Review2 min read
One year after Gabon terminated its Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement with the European Union, both parties are seeking common ground. During a Partnership Dialogue in Libreville on June 8, 2026, Gabon and the EU engaged in discussions about the future of their fisheries cooperation, aiming for mutually beneficial solutions. The Gabonese government, through its spokesperson Professor Charles Edgar Mombo, stated that clarifications were provided to achieve mutually beneficial solutions in sustainable fishing. Gabon had initiated the unilateral denunciation of the agreement in June 2025, citing that the existing partnership no longer met its economic and industrial ambitions. Libreville had previously criticized insufficient financial compensation for catches in its waters and high surveillance costs. Gabon also expressed concerns about the limited involvement of European partners in developing a local fish processing industry, arguing that the agreement yielded low added value, job creation, and skills transfer. Beyond economic factors, the termination was part of a broader strategy to strengthen national sovereignty over fisheries resources, aiming for greater control over marine resource exploitation and fostering a competitive national fishing sector. The agreement, renewed in 2021 for five years and set to expire in 2026, primarily granted tuna fishing opportunities to European vessels in Gabonese waters. While no concrete announcements were made after the recent
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