The European Commission has launched two regional security initiatives with Southern Mediterranean partners under its Pact for the Mediterranean, following a senior officials’ meeting on internal security.
The initiatives were announced by Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica at the first Senior Officials’ Meeting on Internal Security between the European Union and Southern Mediterranean partners, the Commission reported on Wednesday.
One initiative, MED-OP — short for Mediterranean Operational Partnership — is focused on judicial and law enforcement cooperation to prevent, prepare for and respond to organised crime.
The Commission said MED-OP is intended to strengthen the capacity of police forces, justice systems, border authorities and disaster response agencies on both sides of the Mediterranean.
Focus on borders and illicit trafficking
The second initiative, called Secure Borders, is designed to strengthen cooperation to combat illicit trafficking across air, sea and land borders, the Commission explained.
It will bring together authorities responsible for border and maritime security, starting with customs authorities and involving coast guards, border guards and other law enforcement services.
Both initiatives will also contribute to tackling cyber and hybrid threats — a term often used for tactics that combine digital attacks with other forms of interference — as well as migration-related challenges.
The launches followed the Commission’s presentation a day earlier of an updated Action Plan for the Pact for the Mediterranean.
