As part of negotiations for a new Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership, Senegal and the European Union (EU) have strengthened their cooperation on migration, security, and infrastructure, with concrete commitments for fisheries, urban mobility, and the fight against transnational crime.
Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening this partnership following a joint visit by two European Commissioners to Dakar on March 2 and 3, 2026, according to a joint statement released Wednesday.
Jozef Síkela, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, and Magnus Brunner, European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, met with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, and Cheikh Niang, Minister of African Integration, Foreign Affairs, and Senegalese Abroad.
Talks focused on establishing a strengthened partnership in the areas of maritime security, combating illegal fishing, migration and mobility, and promoting investment through the Global Gateway initiative.
The European Commissioners visited several Senegalese programs, including Joint Operational Programme II (JOP II) and the Regional Express Train (TER). Magnus Brunner met with General Birame Diop, Minister of the Armed Forces, and Mouhamadou Bamba Cisse, Minister of the Interior and Public Security, to strengthen cooperation in preventing trafficking and combating transnational organised crime.
In this context, according to a press release to APA, 11 new patrol boats and six re-engined patrol boats, were handed over to the National Police and Gendarmerie, and the Port of Dakar’s Maritime
Maintenance Center was inaugurated.
Mr. Síkela, accompanied by Yankhoba Dieme, Minister of Land and Air Transport, visited the Regional Express Train (TER) to discuss financing for its extension, in partnership with the EU and the French Development Agency (AFD).
According to the document, this collaboration aims to strengthen territorial integration and
infrastructure development for the benefit of all Senegalese, while contributing to competitiveness and regional economic integration through the Global Gateway strategy.
The joint communiqué emphasises that Dakar and Brussels will intensify their cooperation on combating irregular migration, readmission, promoting legal migration, and preserving fisheries resources.
The EU welcomed the measures announced by President Faye to strengthen fisheries monitoring and control, systematise fishing closures, and create jobs for young people through fisheries-related value chains.
AC/Sf/fss/as/APA