Today, at the first Senior Officials’ Meeting on Internal Security between the European Union and Southern Mediterranean partners, Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica launched two flagship regional security initiatives under the third pillar of the Pact for the Mediterranean.
The MED-OP: judicial and law enforcement cooperation initiative will strengthen judicial and law enforcement cooperation across the region to better prevent, prepare for and respond to organised crime. It will strengthen the capacity of police forces, justice systems, border authorities, and disaster response agencies on all shores of the Mediterranean.
The Secure Borders initiative will strengthen cooperation to combat illicit trafficking across air, sea, and land borders. It will bring together the authorities responsible for border and maritime security, starting with customs authorities and involving coast guards, border guards, and other relevant law enforcement services.
Both initiatives will also contribute to tackling cyber and hybrid threats and migration-related challenges.
At a time of increasingly complex cross-border security threats, today’s meeting marked an important first step towards building a structured dialogue and increased cooperation on common security challenges between the EU and its Southern Mediterranean partners.
The launch follows yesterday’s presentation of the updated Action Plan of the Pact for the Mediterranean, bringing a total of 30 initiatives delivering concrete benefits, increased security and new opportunities for citizens, businesses and communities of our shared sea.
(For more information: Guillaume Mercier – Tel.: +32 2 298 05 64; Luca Dilda – Tel.: +32 2 295 21 53)
