The High Representative of the Union, Kaja Kallas, announced on Tuesday 1 September, at the end of the informal meeting of European Defence Ministers in Wicklow (Ireland), that “for the first time, the EU’s annual maritime security exercise will focus on the protection of critical maritime infrastructure”.
“What lies beneath the sea is crucial to European security”, the High Representative stressed, recalling that economies depended on subsea cables and pipelines, at a time when threats linked to drones, mines, and sabotage are intensifying.
“We must defend it accordingly. The EU and its Member States are already allocating more resources to maritime defence. New initiatives, notably the important project of common European interest on integrated maritime surveillance and defence, can make a difference”, she added.
“It is necessary to strengthen our resilience, improve our maritime domain awareness and step up protection of critical maritime infrastructure”, added Irish Defence Minister Helen McEntee, recalling that the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU was making maritime security a priority.
Ms McEntee announced that a meeting would be held in Dublin at the end of October, bringing together representatives of governments, defence, industry, academia, and international organisations to strengthen cooperation in identifying and effectively managing subsea risks, and also to ensure the protection of critical infrastructure. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)