European Patrols Network (EPN) project has been launched today. The EPN is a permanent regional border security concept that enables the synchronization of national measures of the Member States and their integration to joint European activities. It is based on Member States´ existing activities and on strengthening of cooperation and coordination at national and EU levels. This is the first attempt to apply a system solution for the surveillance of southern maritime borders of the EU.
The implementation of the EPN will be carried out in two phases. In the first phase, the EPN will be established based on Member States’ patrolling activities covering defined coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. These activities will be planned, coordinated and implemented through a system of a national contact point in each Member State, together with Frontex. From the operational point of view it will allow avoiding overlapping of those patrols and effective sharing of the operational information. Besides, the network will provide a cost effective solution as the Member States will safe some money spent these days for patrols in the same areas as the neighbouring countries.
In the second phase, the EPN will be further developed by establishment of an appropriate organizational structure, National Coordination Centres (NCCs) and strengthening the cooperation and coordination among Member States involved in the network. This will ensure the permanent activities of the European Patrols Network covering also the open sea far away from the coast, planned and implemented by Frontex and Member States together. Besides, this organizational structure will also be used while conducting joint operations at the southern maritime borders, thus creating a system covering the whole length of this border.
The integration of EPN into the European Surveillance System is foreseen as the next step.
Background
The Presidency Conclusions from the European Council of 15/16 December 2005 called on Frontex to launch a feasibility study on reinforcing monitoring and surveillance of the southern maritime border of the EU, namely in the Mediterranean Sea, and on a Mediterranean Coastal Patrols Network involving EU Member States and North African countries.
This task has been fulfilled by the MEDSEA study. This study, which Frontex delivered in July 2006, gives the organizational structure and the way to exchange information ensuring the coordination of such operational activity in an EU approach.
Two fundamental needs to achieve the coverage of the entire EU southern maritime borders have been defined, the first one is the operational cooperation and coordination between authorities and the second one is the coordinative EU approach. These fundamental needs constitute also the challenges, national sovereignty and framework on one hand and the shared responsibility to protect the common area of freedom, security and justice on the other hand.
The same Council Conclusions contain the task to explore the technical feasibility of establishing a surveillance system covering the whole southern maritime border of the EU and the Mediterranean Sea.
As a response to this, the BORTEC study was carried out by Frontex. The study presents the structure of a surveillance system covering the southern maritime borders as well as the open sea.
The system would be fully based on existing surveillance activities which should be integrated into a European Surveillance System, not creating any new bodies or adding bureaucracy. The fact that one system would be in place, coordinated by one body, namely Frontex, would substantially contribute to the effectiveness of surveillance activities, to their high and uniform level as well as to effective use of resources. Once in place the system will play an essential role in saving lives at sea and tackling illegal immigration. Besides, it will be an important step within the promotion of Integrated Border Management.