(Port Louis) – The 9^th Political Dialogue between the Republic of Mauritius and the European Union was co-chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade and by the Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Mauritius and attended by six Ministers along with Ambassadors and representatives from eight EU Member States. The Dialogue represents an essential element of the EU-Mauritius overall framework of cooperation. The Parties took note of the concrete results of the bilateral partnership since the last session in promoting financial governance, cybersecurity, health resilience, food security as well as trade and investment. They agreed to continue working together in these areas as well as in other areas of common interest such as maritime security, sustainable fisheries, biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector, digital economy, climate change and circular economy.

This years’ session allowed for a cordial and constructive exchange of views on a number of issues of mutual interest, including the deepening of the Economic Partnership Agreement, maritime security, fisheries and the blue economy, climate change, governance as well as regional and multilateral issues. Reaffirming their strong attachment to multilateralism, the UN Charter and the universality of human rights, the Parties also shared views on the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Both sides underlined their continued commitment to strengthening their partnership based on shared values and common interests.

In his welcome address, the Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade Honourable Alan Ganoo stated that “one lesson learnt from the pandemic is that today’s issues are global, inter-related and that we all have a common destiny. It is important that Mauritius and the EU engage as partners to find ways and means of addressing these issues which are having far reaching implications for our planet and future generations”.

In his response, the Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Mauritius, H.E. Mr Vincent Degert stated: “The EU-Mauritius political dialogue is the opportunity to reaffirm the strategic partnership between the European Union and the Republic of Mauritius.  This year has been marked by four major success stories in our partnership: the successful response to the coronavirus pandemic and to other health challenges; the removal of Mauritius from the FATF and EU lists; the designation of Mauritius as a cybersecurity hub for the region and the promotion of Mauritius as a ‘green’ destination. The award ‘Tourism NDC Initiative of The Year, African NDC Investment Awards 2022’ that Mauritius received last week  in the context of the COP27 is further international recognition of the consistent efforts of the authorities in promoting sustainable tourism in Mauritius. We are glad that the EU has been supporting these efforts from the onset.  We will continue, with our Member States, to be a reliable partner for Mauritius for peace and security, for sustainable economic development, for promoting human rights for all and for strong and consistent climate action.”

The Parties reaffirmed their firm attachment to peace and stability and to the principles of the UN Charter. They recalled the UN resolutions to end Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and its dire humanitarian consequences. The Parties agreed to continue working together at pan African and regional level to promote peaceful resolutions.

The EU praised Mauritius for successfully managing the sanitary crisis and achieving a high vaccination rate that has allowed the reopening of its borders. The EU and Mauritius welcomed the progress already made with EU support in strengthening the capacities of the national health system and enhancing the region’s epidemiological surveillance and response capacity. The EU reaffirmed its support to Mauritius’s ambition to become a pharmaceutical hub; the feasibility study prepared by EU experts was submitted to the Mauritian authorities for consideration. The EU confirmed its commitment to continue supporting Mauritius in responding to the impact of the Covid-19 and building resilience to future sanitary crisis.

The Government of Mauritius is also looking into the standardization of the Mauritian Digital Vaccination Pass and the EU Digital COVID Certificate and thanked the EU for its support towards this end.

The EU and Mauritius discussed economic recovery and noted the positive growth forecasts supported by a rebound in the tourism sector. As Mauritius’ main tourism market, the EU welcomed the measures implemented to facilitate travel for EU citizens as for example the possibility offered recently to tourists from La Réunion to enter the country with a valid identity card.

Recognising the global impact of Russia’s war on food and energy prices, the Parties took stock of their ongoing cooperation to boost the country’s food sovereignty through a ‘farm to fork’ approach by increasing small planters’ productivity, promoting the use of less pesticides as well as supporting agricultural research. They also discussed food waste reduction. On energy, they agreed to stimulate cooperation in the field of renewable energy and energy savings with a view to meeting the objectives set in the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) presented in Glasgow. The EU recalled its ongoing institutional support to the authorities in the context of the Climate Change Act. Both sides recalled their joint ambition to go beyond the global commitments of the Paris Agreement of 2015 and underscored that their High-Level Policy Dialogue on Climate Change provides the relevant platform to enhance their cooperation.

Recalling that the Republic of Mauritius is part of one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, the EU also commended Mauritius for adopting the Ridge to Reef approach to protect terrestrial as well as marine biodiversity and acknowledged the constructive work implemented by the National Parks and Conservation Service and civil society actors to restore the endemic forest. The EU reiterated its commitment to work with Mauritius in protecting its biodiversity and encouraged Mauritius to join Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction High Ambition Coalition.

The Parties agreed to endeavour to create strong alliances in international fora, notably at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), in November in Egypt, and in the upcoming UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Canada in December.

The EU welcomed the organisation of a Circular Economy forum under the Switch Africa Green programme and commended Mauritius for the introduction of a key piece of legislation on the ban of single-use plastic. The EU underlined the positive results achieved under the Sustainable Island Mauritius project in promoting a sustainable tourism. The EU confirmed its readiness to continue to work with Mauritius in promoting a circular economy based on achievements and lessons learned.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the global security and integrity of the financial system. The Mauritius side stressed that with the removal of Mauritius from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey list, the UK’s list of high-risk countries and the EU list of high-risk third countries, the country is largely compliant to all of the 40 FATF recommendations thereby consolidating Mauritius’ reputation as a reliable financial centre. The EU confirmed its readiness to provide further support in this context.

The Parties acknowledged that the EU remains Mauritius’ first trading partner and investor and exchanged on ways to increase business opportunities, trade exchanges and investment flows. They noted progress and challenges in the negotiations on the deepening of the interim Economic Partnership Agreement (iEPA) and looked forward to its successful completion. Mauritius and the EU underscored the effectiveness of the National Electronic Licencing System. The Parties also welcomed recent progress on Intellectual Property Rights and looked forward to the reinforcement of the business and investment environment.

Both parties underlined the benefits of the EU-Mauritius Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement for the seafood industry and the promotion of sustainable fisheries management in Mauritius waters. The EU also encouraged the authorities to take advantage of the sectoral support for the implementation of relevant projects for the development of the country’s fisheries sector. The EU highlighted the important work being undertaken at the national and regional level, with EU support, to address Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and encouraged Mauritius to continue to actively take part in this initiative. As Mauritius is a key exporter of tuna and tuna products to the EU, a market that has strict sanitary standards requiring that each product has a catch certificate, both parties agreed to continue joint work in this field.

On the issue of maritime security, the Parties took stock of the progress achieved in the framework of the Indian Ocean Commission in maritime and port security with the involvement of key international partners such as the IMO, UNDOC and INTERPOL. The Parties welcomed the role of the Regional Centre for Operational Coordination in Seychelles and the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre in Madagascar, as key components of the Regional Maritime Surveillance Mechanism. The EU reaffirmed its strong commitment to continue to act as a security provider and recalled the effectiveness of the EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta in addressing piracy off the coast of Somalia and ensuring safe and secure trade routes. With the extension and broadening of EUNAVFOR mandate to also include drugs and arms trafficking, the EU called for regional ownership and renewed regional cooperation to address the judicial dimension ("legal finish").

Referring to new threats to the functioning of democratic societies such as cybersecurity and disinformation, the Parties agreed to work together in these areas for a safer internet and the protection of personal data. The EU congratulated Mauritius on being designated a cybersecurity hub for the region in the framework of the Cyber4Dev programme, and underlined Mauritius’ pivotal role in sharing its experience and expertise with its neighbours. The EU recalled the importance of promoting a digital transition while protecting fundamental rights. In this context, Mauritius reiterated the need to identify avenues for digitalisation in other sectors of the economy such as cashless public transport and e-registry in Mauritian institutions. These will altogether assist in the acceleration of the achievement of SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure for a small island economy like Mauritius.

Mauritius and the EU exchanged views on governance, rule of law and human rights. The EU welcomed the adoption of the Children’s Act as a key piece of legislation to advance the rights of the child. Mauritius and the EU underlined the importance of the Adoption Bill and the Gender Equality Bill, prepared with EU support, as well as the Disability Bill. They also acknowledged the positive outcome of the assistance provided by the EU to address domestic violence, including for the review of the Protection from Domestic Violence Act. They also took note of the important work being undertaken in the framework of their high-level policy dialogue on gender on the basis of the new Gender Country Profile. The Parties also discussed non-discrimination, LGBTQI+ rights, disability rights as well as the rights of other vulnerable groups. Referring to international reports, the EU inquired about the status of reforms in a number of areas including the electoral process and the introduction of a freedom of information law.

The EU reiterated its readiness to continue the dialogue and support Mauritius in the areas of governance and human rights as well as environment and climate change that are part of the EU strategic engagement as part of the 2021-2027 bilateral cooperation programme under the NDICI.

Both parties have agreed to revive or build new real growth sectors in the economy such as the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector and to intensify their cooperation in these promising fields. 

It was also acknowledged that the EU is the most important development partner for Mauritius and the only one who provided direct budgetary support. The ACP-EU Agreement remains a vital instrument in the quest to reduce poverty and contribute to sustainable development. Mauritius looks forward to the signature of the new OACPS-EU Partnership Agreement.

With regard to the European Union-African Union Joint Vision for 2030, the Parties discussed the future of their partnership in the context of the post-Cotonou Agreement. They confirmed their determination to implement the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals as the reference for a safer, cleaner, fairer and more prosperous future.

Expressing satisfaction regarding their constructive discussions, the Parties reiterated their commitment to reinforce their partnership in all of the fields discussed during the Political Dialogue with a view to efficiently tackle both local and global challenges for the benefit of their respective citizens.