Securing the seafront, a subject of informal defense

(B2) Carme Chacon, the Spanish Defense Minister, is expected to present to the informal meeting of Defense Ministers on February 24-25 (in Palma de Mallorca) a working document centered on "common maritime security". The Spaniards have made it a priority of their presidency. They want, in fact, to define a common concept of action, to promote the exchange of information between all the actors working at sea, and to organize maritime and military security operations more effectively. " The sea is an area where borders are blurring, with a multitude of actors. Some, as we see in the waters off the coast of Somalia, endanger our safety. » has explained Constantino Mendez, Secretary of State for Defence, during a seminar which brought together maritime and security specialists in Madrid on 29 January. " We have to face dthe most important challenges : drug and arms trafficking, illegal immigration, smuggling, environmental damage, terrorism and, of course, piracy. To combat them, we must strengthen cooperation between national and European policies civil and military, public and private sectors " he added.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)