EU INTEGRATING MARITIME SURVEILLANCE ACROSS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 001543 SENSITIVE SIPDIS COAST GUARD PLEASE PASS TO LCDR NELL ERO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EWWT MARR EUN PARM SUBJECT: EU INTEGRATING MARITIME SURVEILLANCE ACROSS COUNTRIES AND SECTORS BRUSSELS 00001543 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The European Union, via separate initiatives in the European Commission and European Council, is working to integrate civilian and military maritime surveillance systems across its Member States in an effort to improve international coordination to secure European commerce, prevent drug trafficking, combat smuggling, improve arms control, reduce illegal immigration, reduce pollution, and take stronger military action when necessary. The European Commission is particularly active in integrating Member States' civilian maritime surveillance systems. Beginning later this year, the Commission will oversee a pilot project on maritime surveillance integration with six Member States bordering the Mediterranean. The results of this pilot project will allow the Commission to identify the technical and legal obstacles to truly integrated surveillance systems. In the meantime, the Commission is identifying the legal and technical action it can take to move this process forward. At the same time, EU Member States, through the European Defense Agency, are trying to integrate military maritime domain awareness systems, and expect to coordinate this work to the Commission's efforts on the civilian side. While the full implications of the Commission and Council initiatives will not be clear for several years, the work in maritime surveillance demonstrates that Member States are increasingly looking to the EU to address international security challenges and to protect the European homeland. As we consider how to work with Europe to secure international sea lanes, we should be aware of the increasing role Brussels will play in EU Member States' maritime security. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) On November 16, PolOff met with representatives from several European Commission directorates-general to discuss efforts to integrate maritime surveillance systems across EU Member States. Led by Fabrizia Benini, Head of the Mediterranean and Black Sea Unit in the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs, the group described the work as a 5-10 year effort to render inter-operable the existing Member State maritime surveillance systems across governmental sectors -- police, border control, customs, fisheries, environment -- and among the EU Member States. Removing the current stovepipes between sectors and nations will require not simply a technical review of information systems, but also a review of European Community legislation to address the legal barriers to information sharing. Benini stressed that the Commission is not attempting to build a new information system from the ground up, but will help establish a new technical framework to integrate existing systems. ¶3. (SBU) A two-year pilot project, focused on maritime surveillance in the Mediterranean Sea and its Atlantic approaches, is scheduled to begin at the end of the year. This initiative, which will involve six EU Member States, concerns information relating to border control, drug while noting the dQfference between the U.S. and EU systems. They also expressed strong interest in understandinghow our work on maritime surveillance suppQrts the broader U.S. maritime policy. ¶5. QSBU) The EU Member States, particularly throug( the European Defense Agency, are working separately to integrate maritime surveillance systems, particularly military systems, with an eye towards taking stronger action against the full BRUSSELS 00001543 002.2 OF 002 range of sea-based security challenges. This has been a particular priority of the Swedish EU Presidency, although Member States are committed to continuing the work under the Spanish Presidency. In official conclusions agreed during the EU Foreign and Defense Ministerial (GAERC) on November 17, Ministers called for this work on military systems to be fully integrated with the Commission's efforts on the civilian side. Ministers also called upon the Commission to present the Member States with a roadmap for its project by the end of 2010, and to identify the financial resources needed to implement its work by the end of 2013. ¶6. (SBU) Comment: The full implications of these efforts will not be clear for several years. However, it is already clear that Brussels will play a larger role in maritime safety and security across the European Union in the coming years. These projects also show the EU Member States looking increasingly to the EU to address international security challenges and to protect the European homeland. As it implements these projects, the EU as a whole will play a growing role in international arms control, combating drug trafficking, border management, and military operations. As we develop our security relationship with Europe, we should be mindful of the increasing importance of the EU in this domain. End Comment. MURRAY .