On Wednesday 26 May, the Political and Security Committee of the Council of the EU could discuss the first lessons learned from the Coordinated Maritime Presences (CMP) pilot project in the Gulf of Guinea (see EUROPE 12667/19). This presence was launched at the end of January (see EUROPE 12643/12).
According to a document obtained by EUROPE dated 18 May and shared with delegations on 21 May, the European External Action Service (EEAS) is of the opinion that “the buy-in of coastal states and the maritime industry for this specific project is a cornerstone to ensure the smooth implementation of the CMP concept”. Their membership should be put in place as soon as possible, it explains.
In fact, according to the EEAS, while the initiative has been welcomed in principle by all coastal states, they have expressed the fact that they need to better understand how they could benefit from this new tool.
“For further implementation of the Coordinated Maritime Presences concept in other regions, such as the Indo-Pacific region, an awareness-raising programme combined with a strengthening of STRATCOM (strategic communication) with coastal states and relevant regional organisations or fora will be required in both the planning and implementation phases of the concept”, said the diplomatic service.
A strategic communication plan should therefore be developed for the EEAS in the early stages of planning so that the nature and purpose of the initiative can be clarified, as well as to support future developments of the CMP and the Maritime Area of Interest Coordination Cell (MAICC).
The increasing workload due to the high expectations over the delivery of the CMP requires a revision and adjustment of the headline personnel figures for the MAICC, added the department.
Finally, it recommends that the development of the Maritime Surveillance programme (MARSUR) should take into account the possibility of exchanging classified information and assessing the involvement of non-EU stakeholders. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)