The EU Council could extend the implementation of the concept of a coordinated maritime presence in the Gulf of Guinea by two years, until 2024, according to draft conclusions sent to Member State delegations.
According to the document obtained by EUROPE, Member States should also commit to examining the possibility of applying the concept in other areas of potential maritime interest.
The EU Council should also underline that it looks forward to continuing close cooperation with the West and Central African States and the organisations of the Yaoundé Architecture.
In these conclusions, which are due to be endorsed by EU Member States’ ambassadors on Wednesday 16 February, the EU Council is expected to welcome the first results of the pilot case of the coordinated maritime presence and recognise the desirability of its full implementation.
According to the conclusions, while security incidents in the Gulf of Guinea had decreased in 2021 compared to previous years, the region “continues to be a particularly challenging environment for seafarers, notably due to the ongoing threat of piracy”. In the EU Council’s view, it is necessary to support the establishment of adequate arrangements for the surrender of suspected pirates, in dialogue with the Coastal States concerned.
The EU Council should explain that more efforts need to be undertaken to further strengthen the concept of a coordinated maritime presence. “In line with the EU’s integrated approach, enhancing the complementarity with EU-funded programmes in the region (...) as well as potentially the off-budget European Peace Facility, will contribute to a better support to the Yaoundé Architecture and the Gulf of Guinea Coastal States”, the draft conclusions specify.
See the draft conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/bq (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)