The Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) organised a regional seminar in Mauritius on “Sovereignty and the Development of the Blue Economy through Maritime Security,” bringing together parliamentarians from its Member States.
The seminar was jointly organised through two IOC projects: Governance, Peace and Stability (GPS), funded by the French Development Agency (AFD), and Safe Seas Africa (SSA), funded by the European Union. This collaboration highlighted the complementarity between democratic governance, regional parliamentary cooperation and maritime security.
For the island states of the Indian Ocean, maritime security is closely linked to the exercise of national sovereignty, the protection of marine resources and sustainable economic development. Fisheries, maritime transport, tourism and other sectors of the blue economy depend on safe and well-managed maritime spaces. Illegal fishing, trafficking, piracy and marine pollution pose shared challenges that require coordinated regional responses.
Parliaments have an essential role in addressing these challenges. Through legislation, budgetary approval, oversight of government action and the examination of regional and international commitments, National Assemblies can help ensure that maritime policies are supported by appropriate legal frameworks, adequate resources and effective accountability. The seminar provided a framework for considering these responsibilities and strengthening exchanges between parliamentarians across the region.
The GPS project, implemented by the IOC with technical assistance from ECES and Canal France International (CFI), has played a key role in revitalising the Association of Parliaments of the IOC Member States (AP-COI) and strengthening interparliamentary cooperation across the Indian Ocean region.
Through their technical assistance partnership, ECES and CFI support the IOC in project implementation, strategic coordination, capacity strengthening and sustainability, while mobilising specialised expertise to support regional activities and institutional cooperation.
ECES was represented by Eva Palmans, Head of Operations, member of the ECES Management Board and GPS Project Coordinator, who plays a central role in coordinating the project’s activities and supporting the IOC’s efforts to strengthen democratic governance and regional parliamentary cooperation.
The seminar’s focus also reflected the importance of connecting operational maritime security initiatives with parliamentary engagement. Regional cooperation can support information sharing, coordinated action and the pooling of capacities, while parliamentary dialogue helps translate shared challenges into national policy priorities. Within this framework, the AP-COI provides a platform for exchanges between National Assemblies and for sustained cooperation on issues of common interest.
By combining technical expertise, exchanges of experience and parliamentary dialogue, the seminar contributed to identifying concrete priorities for national action and strengthening cooperation between the National Assemblies of the Indian Ocean region.
15 October 2026
