The Institute of International Economic Relations (IIER/ΙΔΟΣ) has just released a report on “Maritime Security in Europe’s Southeastern Neighbourhood“. The key findings set out in the report are as follows:
Maritime security in Europe’s Southeastern Neighbourhood (ESEN) carries a high and ever-growing cost attributable to major armed conflicts and endemic regional instability. The Black Sea and the Red Sea are the principal theatres of direct military threats, but their effects increasingly spill over into the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean.
Threats are no longer confined to conventional naval warfare or attacks on commercial shipping. The spectrum of hazards now includes shadow fleets, electronic manipulation, sabotage of undersea infrastructure, considerable environmental degradation, etc. Disputes over maritime borders and exclusive economic zones also increase tensions in the ESEN region and are potentially “inflammable”.
Technological advances and the availability of relatively cheap weaponry, such as unmanned systems and mines, create a clear assailant-defender cost asymmetry: inexpensive capabilities can have disproportionately negative consequences and disrupt strategically important supply chains, as we are witnessing in the ESEN region over the past few years.
Existing legal frameworks remain essential for the safety of navigation and the protection of the marine environment, but they were not designed to address contemporary challenges and are in need of continuous updating. Meanwhile, the ESEN region is increasingly relying on maritime security operations under the aegis of the UN, NATO, the EU, etc.
The final chapter of the report offers policy proposals structured around three key priorities: (i) Addressing legal gaps and clarifying existing rules with a view to jurisdiction and attribution; (ii) Strengthening maritime-security enforcement through closer coordination and capacity building; (iii) Strengthening the maritime-security architecture of the ESEN region, by making use of existing and emerging formats.
Maritime security in Europe’s Southeastern Neighbourhood (ESEN) carries a high and ever-growing cost attributable to major armed conflicts and endemic regional instability. The Black Sea and the Red Sea are the principal theatres of direct military threats, but their effects increasingly spill over into the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean. Threats are no longer confined to conventional naval warfare or attacks on commercial shipping. The spectrum of hazards now includes shadow fleets, electronic manipulation, sabotage of undersea infrastructure, considerable environmental degradation, etc. Disputes over maritime borders and exclusive economic zones also increase tensions in the ESEN region and are potentially “inflammable”. Technological advances and the availability of relatively cheap weaponry, such as unmanned systems and mines, create a clear assailant-defender cost asymmetry: inexpensive capabilities can have disproportionately negative consequences and disrupt strategically important supply chains, as we are witnessing in the ESEN region over the past few years. Existing legal frameworks remain essential for the safety of navigation and the protection of the marine environment, but they were not designed to address contemporary challenges and are in need of continuous updating. Meanwhile, the ESEN region is increasingly relying on maritime security operations under the aegis of the UN, NATO, the EU, etc. The final chapter of the report offers policy proposals structured around three key priorities: (i) Addressing legal gaps and clarifying existing rules with a view to jurisdiction and attribution; (ii) Strengthening maritime-security enforcement through closer coordination and capacity building; (iii) Strengthening the maritime-security architecture of the ESEN region, by making use of existing and emerging formats. Read the report HERE