Support to the Government of Seychelles for the implementation of the interim EPA process (interim EPA)

Recognizing the central role of regional integration as a driver of economic development, the European Union has concluded several trade agreements with Seychelles to support its regional integration strategy. Within the framework of the EPA process, Seychelles benefits in particular from financial support (under the Regional Integration Support Programme of the 10th EDF - RISP 3) which assists the government with immediate needs arising from the EPA process. Under this allocation, ETI Consulting was selected to strengthen the capacities of ministries/government departments and private operators so that they can address challenges effectively, while also identifying and seizing opportunities arising from trade liberalization. The project notably: Conducts a gap analysis and identifies all legal and institutional reforms alongside the technical capacity building necessary to fully implement EPA rights and obligations. Furthermore, it provides detailed recommendations for the systematization and planning of actions. Based on this diagnosis, the project develops a 7 million euro EPA-i programme under the 11th programme, including notably the preparation of the action fiche and logical frameworks. The project also describes the necessary steps and institutional structure to establish an EPA unit.