FAQ on Europe's Integration of Maritime Surveillance into Maritime Policy
October 16, 2009 // Published as a news service by IHS
Along with the progress report on the Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP) that the European Commission (EC) released on Oct. 15, the EC also published a related communication on maritime surveillance and issued the following frequently asked questions (FAQ).
What is maritime surveillance?
It is the effective understanding of all activities carried out at sea that could impact the security, safety, economy, or environment of the European Union (EU) and its member states.
Maritime surveillance is carried out by member states' authorities dealing with maritime transport, fisheries, border control, the fight against illegal immigration, law enforcement at sea, defense, protection of the environment, and so on.
In some cases, such EC agencies as the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders (FRONTEX) and the Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA) assist member states in carrying out these tasks.
What is "integrated maritime surveillance"?
Integrating maritime surveillance is the process leading to the development of a common information-sharing environment that will enable EU member states' authorities and EC agencies to access maritime surveillance and monitoring data generated by different sectors of activity, which is necessary for the performance of their duties.
The EU needs an integrated maritime surveillance in order to harvest cross-sectoral information, in a coherent manner. This will to increase the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of the authorities involved in maritime surveillance in the EU, thereby contributing to integrated and sustainable development.
How can integration lead to more effective surveillance and cost-efficiency?
For many user communities, their current awareness view fails to contain complementary information gathered by other sectoral users due to a lack of mutual exchange. Developing the necessary means to allow for such an information exchange (and avoiding duplicated efforts) should enhance these current awareness views and allow for better and more efficient decision-making.
Why do we need a communication on this subject?
Several aspects of maritime surveillance and monitoring have developed as a result of sector-specific international and EU legislation. It is paramount that, in developing these sophisticated surveillance systems, the EU does not impose on member states obligations that are conflicting, while reaping the maximum potential from existing systems.
In a context of ever-increasing maritime traffic, migration pressure and illegal activities at sea, the EU needs to avail itself of an efficient and up-to-date maritime surveillance capability. Integrating the present sectoral surveillance systems and maximizing synergies will provide the EU with such a "state-of-the-art" surveillance capability.
What does the EC's Oct. 15 communication say?
It lays down four guiding principles towards the development of a common information-sharing environment:
Principle 1: An approach interlinking all user communities
All member states' authorities involved in maritime surveillance should be entitled to receive and provide information on the basis of established access rights on a need-to-know basis from international, regional, EU, military, and internal security systems and mechanisms.
Principle 2: Building a technical framework for interoperability and future integration
The technical framework supporting the common information-sharing environment will make the best use of existing systems, on the basis of interoperability. Such architecture is to be designed as a cost-effective interaction of different information layers to enable the improvement of user-defined pictures.
Data should be collected, fused, analyzed, disseminated and managed at the appropriate level of decentralization, depending on security concerns (such as intelligence) and in compliance with data-protection regulations, international rules and functional requirements.
Principle 3: Information exchange between civilian and military authorities
Surveillance information should be shared between civilian and military authorities to avoid duplication and increase cost-effectiveness. While recognizing their distinct purposes and underlying mandates, this approach requires common standards and procedures for access to and use of the relevant information to allow for a two-directional information exchange.
Principle 4: Specific legal provisions
Legal obstacles to the exchange of data are to be identified and removed in respect of intellectual property rights, data protection and confidentiality provisions.
Which user communities are concerned?
Once the common information-sharing environment is completed, it will link all communities involved in maritime surveillance and monitoring. In particular, it will link:
- Maritime transport safety and security
- Fisheries
- Search and rescue
- Protection of the marine environment
- Defense (navies)
- Border control and illegal immigration efforts
- General law enforcement (combating drug tracking, etc.)
How are you going to overcome complex legal issues, such as data protection and ownership?
We will need to identify the legal provisions that must be complied with to enable a lawful exchange of maritime surveillance data. A clear legal framework will need to be established, defining at least the nature of the data involved, the capability of the data providers, the purposes (and the methods) of the exchange and the potential recipients of the data. The necessary safeguards with regard to the confidentiality and security of (certain) data and the protection of personal data will need to be respected by the recipient of the data.
What are the next steps?
The work towards the development of a common information-sharing environment will be carried out in close coordination with the different sectoral authorities involved at the EU and member state level, as compatible with other ongoing sectoral work. First tasks will include the system architecture for the information exchange between the different sectoral systems, taking into account the existing legal frameworks plus the procedural and technological barriers to information-sharing.
In parallel, the EC will be working on the results of the two pilot projects for the integration of surveillance that are in the process of being launched and that involve several coastal member states in the Mediterranean and the Northern Seas.
How can integrated surveillance help fight piracy?
Integrating surveillance will result in enhanced maritime awareness and a more accurate and comprehensive package of information for decision support. A better knowledge of the activities - legal or illegal - that are carried out at sea will also benefit high-seas operations involved in fighting piracy.
Where can I find more information?
For more information, see the EC's web page on Maritime Policy Actions.
Source: European Commission (EC).