Pictured: A family photo of the delegates to the EU Maritime Security Strategy.

On 17 June 2024, Ambassadors and embassy representatives of the Gulf of Guinea Coastal States in Brussels participated in a closed-door roundtable to discuss cooperation on maritime issues and the role of the EU Coordinated Maritime Presences in the region.

This initiative sought to reinforce the community of interest on the Gulf of Guinea amongst Brussels-based actors, by engaging with the diplomatic representations of the region in Brussels. This was planned as another step towards mutual understanding and increased cooperation in support of maritime security structures, in particular the Yaoundé Architecture for Maritime Security.

The meeting was chaired by Dr Alison Weston, EU Senior Coordinator for Maritime Security.

As well as the representatives of nine coastal states and three regional organisations, colleagues from the EU services based in Brussels also took part. EU participants included the European External Action Service, Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Directorate General for International Partnerships, Service for Foreign Policy Instruments, and Member States involved in the Coordinated Maritime Presences.

The EU Coordinated Maritime Presences is a light mechanism launched by the EU in 2021 in the Gulf of Guinea, to build on the Member States’ established naval presences and the EU’s engagement in support of regional maritime security efforts.

It aims to maximise the impact of what previously were isolated actions by generating synergies to enhance cooperation with regional partners, including in support of the regional Yaoundé Architecture for Maritime Security.

While deployed in the region, EU Member States’ naval ships are in contact with the centres of the Yaoundé Architecture and are encouraged to share schedules and situation reports with the relevant points of contact in the architecture.

The event facilitated discussion on the need for further support to the operationalisation of the 27 local, zonal and regional Centres of the Yaoundé Architecture for Maritime Security, including through the framework of the Coordinated Maritime Presences.

Several main priorities were identified, including the improvement of Maritime Domain Awareness and response capacity by streamlining information sharing, both inside the region and from external partners to the region.

In addition, the roundtable reflected on the critical capabilities still missing in the region to achieve greater security in the waters of the Gulf of Guinea.

Reaching out to regional partners of the Gulf of Guinea, from Senegal to Angola, has been a constant priority while implementing the EU Coordinated Maritime Presences.

European Union