Objectives
The strategy aims to protect the strategic maritime interests of the European Union worldwide, such as
- overall security and peace
- rule of law and freedom of navigation
- external border control
- maritime infrastructure (ports, underwater pipelines and cables, windfarms etc.)
- natural resources and environmental health
- climate change preparedness
Strengthening the link between internal and external security, the EUMSS combines the objectives of the European Security Union strategy with blue economy topics.
Actions
The EUMSS is implemented through an action plan addressing 5 key areas
- international cooperation
- maritime surveillance
- capability development, research and innovation
- risk management
- education and training
Through close cooperation and coordination, the EU can make better use of resources, and enter more effective and credible international partnerships.
The action plan addresses security as well specific challenges in the EU sea basins and global maritime hotspots such as the Gulf of Guinea, Horn of Africa-Red Sea, South-East Asia and Arctic.
The actions foreseen contribute to the implementation of the EU global strategy, the EU internal security strategy, the Council conclusions on global maritime security, and the communication on international ocean governance.
The 2020 report on the implementation of EUMSS action plan highlights the latest activities performed by EU countries and EU bodies in this field.
Documents
European Union Maritime Security Strategy
Euronews Ocean: The ticking environmental time bombs lying on Europe's seafloor
In this episode, we’ll meet German bomb divers and join scientists from EMFF-funded BASTA and ExPloTect projects onboard a research cruise in the Baltic Sea to test new methods and technologies allowing to locate and map unexploded munitions on the seafloor. We’ll also visit a software development centre in Kiel, Germany, that relies on historic information, artificial intelligence and fusion of marine data for the detection and identification of munition in our oceans.