Gabon ends eu fishing deal amid demands for fair terms
President Oligui Nguema rejects unequal EU fishing terms
The Gabonese government has formally moved to terminate its long-standing fishing agreement with the European Union, citing deep-seated imbalances in the partnership. President Brice Oligui Nguema announced in mid-2025 the initiation of unilateral withdrawal procedures, describing the existing framework as fundamentally skewed against Gabon’s interests.
Calls for a fairer, future-focused fishing framework
The EU delegation in Libreville responded with a commitment to engage in good faith, emphasizing a willingness to address Gabonese concerns through transparent, constructive dialogue. Brussels proposed replacing the current Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement with a next-generation deal—one designed to deliver mutual benefits under a modernized, balanced and effective regulatory structure.
At the heart of the dispute lies a decades-old arrangement signed in 2007, which granted European vessels access to Gabon’s rich coastal waters. But officials now argue that the financial returns fail to reflect the true cost of resource depletion, enforcement overheads and lost domestic value-added opportunities.
Economic and ecological grievances fuel the break
Government records from the June 2025 council session highlighted several key failings: first, the revenue generated by the agreement does not cover the full economic value of extracted catches, nor the state’s surveillance and regulatory expenses; second, the absence of local processing capacity strips Gabon of potential jobs and industrial growth; third, promised investments in local development, employment and institutional capacity remain largely undelivered; and fourth, weak transparency and scientific oversight raise serious concerns about the risk of overfishing.
The deal, renewed periodically and most recently extended in 2021 for another five years, was valued at roughly 17 billion Central African CFA francs—approximately 26 million euros—according to Gabon’s Foreign Ministry.
