Delegations will find attached document SWD(2018) 448 final.

Transcription

1 Council of the European Union Brussels, 16 October 2018 (OR. en) 13180/18 COVER NOTE From: To: No. Cion doc.: COAFR 257 ACP 98 CFSP/PESC 957 RELEX 868 Secretary-General of the European Commission, signed by Mr Jordi AYET PUIGARNAU, Director Mr Jeppe TRANHOLM-MIKKELSEN, Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union SWD(2018) 448 final Subject: JOINT STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Gulf of Guinea Action Plan Second Implementation Report Delegations will find attached document SWD(2018) 448 final. Encl.: SWD(2018) 448 final 13180/18 DZ/ln RELEX.1.B EN

2 EUROPEAN COMMISSION HIGH REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNION FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SECURITY POLICY Brussels, SWD(2018) 448 final JOINT STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Gulf of Guinea Action Plan Second Implementation Report EN EN

3 Gulf of Guinea Action Plan Second Implementation Report Summary: The Gulf of Guinea Action Plan was adopted in March 2015 by the Foreign Affairs Council, exactly one year after the adoption of the Strategy for the Gulf of Guinea 2, to support the Central and West Africa Heads of State's decision to reinforce the inter-regional cooperation to fight against criminal and illegal activities at sea, and to create the so-called Yaoundé maritime security architecture. The Action Plan is based on the EU's 'integrated/comprehensive approach'. This report describes the progress registered in The first implementation report 3 covered The EU and its Member States continued in 2016 to have an important presence and level of activity in the region, either with a regular military or ad-hoc presence - jointly with navies from the Gulf of Guinea countries - or through projects and programmes. During 2016, the EU and its Member States also strengthened political dialogues in the domain of maritime security 4. Ensuring a positive role for the EU and its Member States in the G7 ++ Friends of the Gulf of Guinea forum continued to be a key priority in 2016, in particular with Portugal ensuring the Presidency and issuing the Lisbon declaration 5 in June. The four objectives of the Action Plan remain valid, and the EU is continuing its support. A new EUR 9,3 million project, financed under the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace, complemented by a Danish contribution, was signed in October This project will concentrate on creating a network for information sharing and communication. Unfortunately, illegal and criminal acts at sea, and in particular piracy, armed robbery at sea and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing are still present in the waters of the Gulf of Guinea, with some worrying trends, notably "kidnap for ransom" events. The EU is in the process of identifying and formulating additional projects (11th European Development Fund regional programmes for Central and West Africa), which will address inter alia, if adopted, the strengthening of the legal system of the countries and also the Yaoundé maritime architecture. Most of the fourteen results deriving from the four objectives of the Action Plan (set out below) have a medium (one to three years) and long term (three to five years) perspective, and the EU is on track to deliver on its promises %3a+Council+adopts+conclusions 5 1

4 See at the end for the list of abbreviations. I. Background: The Gulf of Guinea (GoG) remains a region where Africa's and European Union's (EU) interests converge, and where stability and security must be preserved and improved. At the June 2013 Yaoundé Summit, the Heads of State of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) reaffirmed their intention to co-operate in seeking a reduction in transnational organised crime in the maritime domain, maritime terrorism, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and other illegal activities at sea. With this goal in mind, alongside the Joint Declaration, they adopted the Yaoundé Code of Conduct 6, whose main aim is to "promote regional maritime cooperation and a stable maritime environment, contribute to the peace, good order and continuing prosperity of the West and Central Africa". They also urged the two regional organisations ECCAS and ECOWAS, together with the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC), via a Memorandum of Understanding 7, to ensure a better cooperation between the various maritime security centres of the two regions and ensure greater mutualisation and inter-operability. They also decided inter alia to create the Interregional Coordination Centre (ICC) in charge of the implementation of the Code of Conduct. The ICC was hosted by Cameroon since September The current situation in the Gulf of Guinea remains tense and volatile, with piracy trends, and more worrying "kidnap for ransom" events on the rise in 2016, and increasing compared to other regions of the world 9. IUU fishing also remains at high levels, especially in West Africa. The Action Plan (AP) covers the period and foresees 14 results with 67 actions (under the four strategic objectives) with immediate, medium term (one to three years) and long term (three to five years) timelines, to be conducted by Member States, Commission services and EEAS. The first implementation report of the AP was adopted in March Its main objective was to have a first overall understanding of the extent of EU action. Since the adoption of the first implementation report, a number of important events have taken place, in particular the adoption of the Lomé Charter on Maritime Security, Safety and Development in Africa, in October 2016 at the African Union Extraordinary Summit. This document is a concrete deliverable of the 2050 African Integrated Maritime Strategy (AIMS) 10, and after its entry into force, will be a pan- African legally binding document. The Lomé Charter has already been signed by It is now staffed with the high level officials since February EUMS statistics, and other international sources such as International Maritime Organisation and International Maritime Bureau or NGO as Oceans Beyond Piracy

5 Parties, but needs to be ratified by 15 Parties to enter into force (only Togo has ratified it to date); encouraging ratification is a political priority of the EU. The Yaoundé maritime security architecture has also progressed since the first implementation report. This should allow the 19 countries of the GoG and the regional organisations to act even more efficiently and effectively both between themselves and with international partners providing assistance and support. Main achievements of the EU on the four objectives in 2016 The GoG represents an area of approximatively 6000 km of coastline. The 'mutualisation' of all EU assets and policies was judged necessary to deliver concrete and efficient action. Like last year, Member States were informed and consulted via the COAFR Council Working Group, alongside key Commission and EEAS services, active in the Gulf of Guinea, and the EU Delegations in the field. During the last year, the European Community of Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) was also consulted. ECSA has issued a draft position paper which will form a useful basis for regular dialogue on how to better address the industry's concerns. The dialogue with EU industry is of paramount importance in this field and should continue to be strengthened. Contacts with industry, in particular ECSA and OCIMF (Oil Companies International Marine Forum) were focused in 2016 on sharing the evaluation of the situation and assessing risks and dangers across the zone. An Interservice EEAS-Commission services Task Force was created in 2016 and held two meetings. EU Delegations were also contacted at regular intervals via the specific GoG network which was created. This second implementation report covers the year 2016, and uses a different reporting methodology concentrating more on the overall 14 expected results, and less on each of the 67 actions. For each of the 14 results, a progress indicator is provided. For each of the four objectives, a more general progress indicator is also provided. Unlike the first implementation report, which was mainly dedicated to describing the broad scope of actions and activities undertaken in the Gulf of Guinea, the second implementation report (and those which will follow) needs to go into more detail on the actual progress recorded in implementing those actions. This report is solely based on information received from Member States, Commission Services, EEAS Services and EU Delegations. For each result, a box summarizing the actions as described in the AP is provided. 3

6 1. First Objective: Improved common understanding of the scale of the threat, and the need to address it among the countries in the region and the international community 1.1. Result 1: Bilateral dialogues with ECOWAS, ECCAS, GGC, African Union (AU), and National governments Regional level: identification of key actors in Regional Economic Communities and opportunities for political and operational cooperation (political dialogue). National level: identification of key actors amongst national authorities and gaps in implementation and/or regulation (governance). Improving intra-regional cooperation by showcasing good models/examples to follow (such as MAOC-N, MTISC-GoG). Participation and contribution to meetings/conferences/summits at regional and international levels in support of the Yaoundé process All actions have an "Immediate" timeline The EU and some Member States have regular contacts with the two main Regional Organisations ECOWAS and ECCAS (less with GGC), and with some individual countries, at ministerial, ambassadorial or technical levels and/or share maritime analysis of risks and threats. Some Member States also have an expert embedded in ECCAS and/or ECOWAS, and in some GoG countries, and some also have a naval/maritime advisor in their Embassy. Most key actors at regional or national levels are now identified, thanks to EU Delegations' active involvement, and a preliminary list will be provided to Member States via COAFR. Bearing in mind its dynamic nature, this list should be updated at least every six months by EEAS. The EU and several Member States have been active members of the G7++ FOGG since its inception, either as G7 members or associated members. In 2016, Portugal acted as president of this group and issued the Lisbon Declaration. Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre-Narcotics (MAOC-N) also joined the G7++ FOGG as an observer during the Portuguese Presidency. Italy took over the presidency in 2017, demonstrating again the European interest in this forum. The EU and several Member States took part in the Extraordinary African Union Summit on Maritime Security, Safety and Development in Lomé in October France was even represented at Ministerial level and EU at Commissioner level. The EU contributed financially and technically to the holding of this Summit with a grant of EUR Maritime security issues were included on the agenda of some Article 8 of the Cotonou Agreement 11 political dialogues between the EU and partner states

7 Result 1 has registered progress, but dialogues should continue at all levels. More work is still required to ensure political dialogues with the 19 GoG countries all include maritime security. Relationships with key actors need to be consolidated so that political and operational cooperation can be enhanced Result 2: Regular reporting and analyses of risks with EU Member States and international partners Assessing impact/consequences of risk to EU and GoG Integrating thematic and geographical analysis with relevant experts/stakeholders incl. private sector GoG on agendas of political dialogues with Member States and international partners Reporting and analysis conducted on issues of interest Ensuring close links and complementarity of action with the private sector/industry All actions have an "Immediate" or "Medium Term" (one to three years) timeline EU Military Staff Intelligence provided reports at very regular intervals in 2016, and also produced one covering the whole of 2016, shared with Member States. The situation in the GoG has also been addressed three times by the EU Military Committee in the Council, and was also covered in EU-NATO regular meetings. Council was briefed in the context of the first implementation report, and also by the Portuguese Presidency of the G7++ FOGG. Contacts with industry took place (in particular with ECSA and OCIMF) to share the evaluation of the situation and the increased danger to seafarers. ECSA produced a 'position paper' on the Gulf of Guinea which proposed having regular dialogues on how to better address EU industry's concerns. The Maritime Trade Information Sharing Centre Gulf of Guinea (MTISC-GoG) pilot project, supported by some Member States, terminated in June Following this, the France-United Kingdom Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade (MDAT-GoG) project was established at the request of the international shipping industry. The new mechanism learnt lessons from MTISC-GoG, but it did not represent a continuation of that centre. MDAT-GoG is a virtual platform, designed in support of the Yaoundé process, offering a service to all shipping in the region to safeguard against piracy and other maritime crime attacks. It maintains close contact with industry in providing this service. The FR-ES-PT-DK initiative on maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, agreed in June 2015 by the Defense Ministries, its coordination and sharing of information amongst the four partner countries continued in Meetings in the four nation group format take place every six months. 5

8 Denmark held the "Danish Maritime Days", with cooperation between public and private actors including the Danish Ship Owners Association and Danish Maritime Authority. Regular and fruitful contacts with the Danish shipping industry continued, mainly through the Danish Ship Owners Association. Spain held regular exchanges between the competent Spanish authorities and the private sector, notably Spanish shipping, fishing and oil and gas companies, to promote risk awareness and safe practices in both navigation and economic activities in the region. France kept the GoG in its agenda of political discussions most notably with US, India and Brazil. With the latter, France decided to synchronize the naval deployments in the international waters of the GoG, and to promote a coordinated action between French and Brazilian navies, which was initially limited to tactical level. The Africa-FRONTEX Intelligence Community (AFIC) continued as a platform to share information and produce joint analyses with African partners in relation to border security. Annual and monthly reports were currently delivered. It is also important to mention that during some Article 8 political dialogues (at national or regional levels), Gulf of Guinea and issues related to maritime security were addressed, such as, inter alia, the cases of Gabon, Guinea,Sierra Leone, Togo, Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe. Result 2 can be considered largely achieved. Reporting and analysis of risk should continue. Dialogue with industry/private sector should further be enhanced Result 3: Sharing of information on activities among all stakeholders involved National level: identification of key donor partners and where EU & EU Member States can have impact and provide added value. International level: participation in coordination efforts with EU Member States and key partners to maximise combined impact and avoid duplication. Mapping of ongoing activities to identify niche areas of joint working and complementarity of effort. All actions have an "Immediate" or "Medium Term" (one to three years) timeline The main forum to address Gulf of Guinea internationally remained the G7++ FOGG, where at least nine Member States were members and took part at the two annual meetings (Lisbon and Praia in 2016), in addition to the EU. 6

9 In 2016, the EU and US-AFRICOM (Africa Command) started a structured but informal exchange of views on sharing intelligence/"releasable information", sharing information on projects and exercises as part of a collaboration between the EU and the US at strategic/political level. The first meeting took place in June 2016 in Brussels. Both parties endeavoured to meet twice a year. Some Member States also work through the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on giving priority to technical cooperation projects on piracy. The mapping of activity of partners in GoG, which is essential as a starting point for more effective co-operation, was addressed in 2016 in the context of the G7++ FOGG. The first step in the mapping process requested each donor to complete a common template. The ICC was given an important role to play in that activity. Nigeria benefitted from the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) ERMES which supported the Niger Delta Dialogue Contact Group. With a portfolio of EUR , the first phase, which ended in October 2017, aimed at establishing the Dialogue Group itself and develop its own action plan, as well as to prepare a range of stakeholders in the Niger Delta, beyond government authorities, to discuss issues relevant to the region and to provide a platform for engaging with militants as well as with the government. Some EU delegations engaged with Member States for maritime-related issues in the Gulf of Guinea, in particular those in Libreville and Abuja, where ECCAS and ECOWAS headquarters are situated. As mentioned under result 2, France, Portugal, Spain and Denmark concluded a cooperation agreement for the GoG, in order to implement a structure to share maritime safety information, looked for synergies between the navy deployments in the region and proposed mutual cooperation actions for local navies. Result 3 can be considered partially achieved for those medium-term actions. A structured dialogue with US AFRICOM is now effective. Sharing of information should continue and be enhanced in coordination with Member States. SUMMARY OBJECTIVE 1: from the three results expected from Objective 1, those with an immediate timeline can be considered to be largely achieved, and those with a medium-term timeline are ongoing and active. Dialogues, sharing of information, reporting and analysis of risks should continue. 7

10 2. Second Objective: Reinforced multi-agency institutions at the regional and national levels 2.1. Result 4: Capacity building of regional and national institutions Needs assessment conducted leading to capacity building programmes Supporting the ICC (Yaoundé) with a communications strategy and coordination with regional and zonal maritime centres Regional & National levels: Helping establish 24/7 focal points of contact Regional & National levels: Supporting maritime strategies, institutions/agencies to be able to do maritime interdiction, and multiagency capabilities to enhance interoperability between national and regional maritime responses. Regional: Supporting ECOWAS & ECCAS on development of CRES (MAO and MAC) and ICC Understanding the needs and requirements of oil and fishing industries All actions have an "Immediate" or "Medium Term" (one to three years) timeline, except the one related to improving the maritime intervention capabilities, with a "Long Term" (three to five years) timeline The capacity building of both national and regional institutions is a domain in which EU action was significant in The EU and some Member States continued their support for capacity building of both regional and national institutions in In December 2016, the CRIMGO ("Critical Maritime Route in the Gulf of Guinea") project, financed under the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP), came to an end. This project, launched in January 2013, was specifically dedicated to promoting maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea with an overall objective to support measures to improve maritime security and safety with a focus on piracy and armed robbery at sea. Six training sessions were conducted under CRIMGO (3 in Abidjan in French 3 in Accra in English) allowing the graduation of 188 trainees from 12 beneficiary countries (including the 7 CRIMGO beneficiary countries: Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and São Tomé and Príncipe, two university hosting countries (Côte d Ivoire and Ghana) and three other countries who made specific requests to participate Guinea Conakry, Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Those attending represented 13 different administrations having responsibilities in maritime matters. Beyond these results, an active network encouraged exchanges between former trainees. In addition, both universities developed capacity to conduct training sessions (see later contribution on the IcSP project GOGIN). 8

11 13 exercises at sea devoted to Crisis Response Training (CRT) were conducted during CRIMGO, including two at sub-regional level 12 s. Five countries could from that moment autonomously conduct exercises to train their national crisis response organisations (Togo, Benin, Cameroon, São Tomé and Príncipe and Gabon). In order to consolidate the success of CRIMGO, a more comprehensive project was launched on 14 October 2016 in Lomé, Togo, in the margins of the African Union Summit. The "Gulf of Guinea Inter-Regional Network" (GoGIN) is a four-year project that aims at supporting administrations and agencies active in the maritime domain in sharing information and responsibility in the field of maritime strategic coordination. The project received IcSP support of EUR 7.5 million and was complemented with a contribution from Denmark of approximately EUR 1.8 million. The implementing Organisation is the "Agence Française d'expertise Technique Internationale" (in short "Expertise France") and implementation already started. The project aims at improving the inter-regional maritime steering by providing the necessary tools and best practices at all relevant levels with the ultimate goal to be able to anticipate future crises. This action is based on three pillars: firstly, creation of a physical network for dedicated information sharing; secondly, creation of a community with an efficient inter-regional coordination structure that can feed the physical network; thirdly, dissemination of know-how on maritime cooperation to the relevant authorities. The pilot project MTISC-GoG, also supported by the Netherlands, ended in June The Netherlands remained involved in the MAOC-N. Portugal implemented bilateral agreements with Angola and Guinea-Bissau on capacity building of the Navy and with Cabo Verde and São Tomé e Príncipe on capacity building of the coast-guard. Portugal also implemented bilateral agreements on the Joint Monitoring of Maritime Spaces falling under the sovereignty or jurisdiction of São Tomé e Príncipe and Cabo Verde. Portugal also deployed naval and air assets to participate in the Obangame Express and Saharan Express exercises, which contributed to the capacity building of the countries of Africa Atlantic coast and to the interoperability of capabilities. Portugal also conducted the Mar Aberto Initiative, with the objectives of 1) Combating sea blindness; 2) Building mutual trust; 3) Developing maritime governance and the maritime legal framework; 3) Developing maritime security and safety structures; 4) Education and training of Navy/Coast Guard personnel; 5) Developing of cooperative security activities. This initiative focused on bilateral assistance to Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé e Príncipe and Angola, but also in the cooperation with other Navies and Coast Guards in the region. In 2016, in the context of this initiative, Portugal deployed one Frigate and one AGS (Auxiliary General Survey ship). 12 Togo 2; Benin 2; Nigeria 2; Cameroon 2; Gabon 1; São Tomé and Príncipe 2, and at sub-regional level the Zone E exercise for Togo Benin and Multinational Maritime Centre (MCC), and the Zone D exercise lead by MMCC zone D for Cameroon, Gabon, STP and Equatorial Guinea. 9

12 The UK, together with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) provided advisers to Ghana and São Tomé & Príncipe maritime law enforcement agencies (with a total cost over two years of GBP ). The UK also worked with the Nigerian Navy to detect and board and to apprehend maritime criminals, and to collect and document evidence to submit to the judicial system. The UK planned to work with UNODC to provide needs assessments of maritime law enforcement capability with both Togo and Nigeria in 2017 (GBP ). This activity was followed by the provision of an adviser and training to Nigerian maritime law enforcement, and support at the Federal level to boost legal capability to prosecute pirates (GBP ). The UK National Crime Agency (NCA) worked with international partners across West Africa, including through its network of overseas liaison officers, to tackle serious and organized crime threats impacting on Europe, but which also threaten regional security and stability. This included operational cooperation and in some instances capacity building assistance to enable the identification and disruption of organised crime groups operating within the region and beyond. A key focus is on responding to the growing threats of modern slavery and the facilitation of illegal migrants towards Europe. Within CORYMBE naval missions, France organised bilateral and multilateral exercises dedicated to maritime surveillance and law enforcement at sea (AFRICAN NEMO); moreover, it performed co-operation activities, courses and trainings (e.g. signal stations, protection of ports and naval bases) in its military bases in Dakar and Libreville. Moreover, France created programme ASECMAR in 2011 to reinforce maritime security sector reform in fifteen countries of the Gulf of Guinea. The ASECMAR project delivers training on good practices already in operation to local personnel. Its aim was to provide national audits on demand in the field of maritime security and safety, also through the help of navy officers detached to national navies and/or maritime authorities, accompanying hosting countries in their will to develop or improve their national maritime strategy. In particular, through the regional part of the ASECMAR programme, France organised workshops dedicated to building better regional coordination; it also provided interregional training to the ISMI (Institut de Sécurité Maritime Interrégional) in Abidjan and also appointed a maritime expert to ECCAS, whose mandate terminated last year. The ASECMAR project also supported the development of CRESMAC and CRESMAO. France also kept regular contact with oil industries at local and headquarters levels. In the framework of Spanish defence diplomacy, its Navy continued in 2016 its existing bilateral cooperation and capacity building activities in the GoG/West African region, including under the umbrella of bilateral agreements negotiated with Mauritania, Senegal, Cape Verde, Cameroon and Ghana: that co-operation included ship visits, joint bilateral exercises and training. As part of this effort, two Offshore Patrol Vessels of the Spanish Navy ("Atalaya" and "Serviola") undertook three month GoG deployments in The Spanish ships also took part with France in two events under the NEMO (Navy's Exercise for Maritime Operations) exercises, firstly training GoG navies ("Atalaya" in April) and secondly counter-piracy training with Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, and some European and some US navies/mocs (Maritime Operation Centres) ("Serviola" in November). 10

13 Belgium undertook a number of actions aimed at promoting capacity building in various countries in the GoG. Principal among these were the following: With Senegal: the "Programme de Renforcement des Capacités Institutionnelles" (completed through training grants in the maritime sector) within the Programme Indicatif de Coopération, executed by the Coopération Technique Belge, for an amount of EUR With DRC: "Cooperation between Antwerp Maritime School and La Congolaise des Voies Maritimes". In the second half of 2016 the support vessel GODETIA was deployed on a Maritime Capacity Building mission in the Gulf of Guinea. In addition, Belgium deployed 100 military personnel on patrols for 10 weeks in support of MAOC-N in Lisbon and to deter piracy. Maritime capacity building took place with marine units from Benin, Togo, Gabon and Cape Verde taken on board Belgian ships for training purposes. The "Military Partnership Programme" with Benin provided certification of crews on rapid intervention speed boats and training of instructors for boarding techniques (a train the trainer programme). Togolese experts attended CRIMGO sponsored training in regional centres. In addition, CRIMGO organised a Togo-Benin crisis management exercise on 25 June CRIMGO experts participated in the 2 nd Togolese Maritime conference 9-10 July 2016, as well as in the AU Summit. On 6-7 July the Togo Ministre Haut Conseiller pour la mer visited EUNAVFOR Atalanta headquarters as well as the EEAS HQ to learn more about the EU approach on maritime security. On March the EU-funded project SEACOP provided training to Lomé Port agents and Togolese law enforcement agents on searching for narcotics on commercial vessels. At the sub-regional level, the Guinean Prefecture Maritime and the Joint Maritime Committees of Sierra Leone and Liberia got access to Seavision (tool to track ships and coordinate operations in the maritime environment). This provided a mechanism for information sharing and communication. These national maritime coordinating bodies were encouraged to exchange more and the Mano River Union (MRU) Secretariat could potentially be a good vehicle to drive these improvements. The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) continued to facilitate bilateral cooperation between EU Member States and certain West African countries under the umbrella of the maritime Joint Operation (JO) Hera hosted by Spain. The operation was mainly focused on countering irregular migration towards the Canary Islands, with a strong involvement of Senegal and in the past Mauritania. The JO was launched in 2006 and implemented each year during a specific period indicated by the risk analysis: it provided additional capabilities to non EU countries (in particular Senegal) not only to address migration in general, but also to better maintain the rule of law over their territory of jurisdiction and increase the maritime situational awareness, contributing to safety and security. 11

14 The EU had at its disposal also the Copernicus Programme, which was able to deliver a valuable contribution in the Gulf of Guinea. For information, Copernicus makes use of space observations to monitor the Earth. Copernicus has six services addressing Land, Atmosphere, Marine environment and Climate change monitoring, in addition to Emergency Management Response and Security applications. The Copernicus Maritime Surveillance Service (CMS) is a component of the Copernicus Security Service, whose operations have been delegated to the Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) for the period CMS serves a multitude of Maritime communities, from Coast Guards and Navy to Fisheries control, and is being used to help fighting illegal activities at sea, anti-piracy operations and maritime drug smuggling, as well as supporting fisheries control, helping to deter illegal migrants and saving lives at sea, detecting oil spills or illegal waste dumping. Copernicus Maritime Surveillance relies on the fusion of space-born data with other sources of maritime information, such as Long Range Identification Tracking (LRIT), Automatic Identification System (AIS) and Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), and it is being provided via EMSA. One particularity of this service is that it relies on near-real time data provided by a complementary ground infrastructure allowing maritime data to be processed within 30 minutes, a minimum necessary condition for the timely provision of information for maritime surveillance operations. In particular in support to the GoG Strategy, CMS/EMSA provided vessel detection services derived from space and ground data to an exercise coordinated by UNODC in cooperation with the São Tomé e Príncipe (STP) Coast Guard, the Criminal Investigation Police and the Fishing Department. Together, they supported an operation led by a STP patrol unit some 45 nautical miles from STP. Both the area covered and the cooperation among agencies made this exercise an important achievement for STP. The Project SEACOP (IcSP) supported the fight against illicit maritime traffic, especially through the establishment of a joint unity of maritime control in several countries of the GoG. Exercises and mentoring take place bi-annually, including on the vessels and the "profiling". Result 4: Ongoing- The EU and Member States continued in 2016 their regular cooperation or have started new capacity building projects for national and regional institutions should register further enhanced cooperation Result 5: Improved information exchange and deployment of state-of art Information and Communication Technologies National level: streamlining communication channels amongst maritime & other law enforcement entities; ensuring communication equipment is interoperable to enable effective data collection and exchange of info. 12

15 Regional level: Supporting effective implementation/dissemination of best practices (including anti-piracy best practices); Standardisation of recording and reporting models; centres aligned and coordinated passing on same messages/info to mariners All actions have an "Immediate" or "Medium Term" (one to three years) timeline Germany provided EUR 1 million in 2016 in order to furnish and equip for interoperability the four Maritime Coordination Centres under ECOWAS supervision along the coastline (Maritime Regional Coordination Centre (CRESMAO) in Abidjan and three Multinational Maritime Coordination Centres (MCC) - those responsible for the zones E (Cotonou), F (Accra) and G (Cape Verde). In Spain, the Maritime Operations and Surveillance Centre of the Spanish Navy shared information with the national maritime authorities of GoG and other West African countries such as Senegal, Cape Verde and Mauritania. Assistance to Cameroon in the establishment of an electronic maritime surveillance system by Spanish companies and with favourable financing in order to enhance surveillance of Cameroon's territorial waters, thereby contributing to GoG maritime security. The competent Spanish authorities maintained regular contacts with Spanish shipping, fishing and oil companies active in the GoG region in order to better understand their security needs and requirements, as well as to advise them on the maritime security situation and the best practices against the threats of piracy and criminality at sea in GoG waters. Belgium loaned EUR 4 million to Senegal to set up a communications and maritime control system. This was realised by a Belgian company specialised in communications technology, SAIT SA. France shared maritime information and analysis with the MOCs and supported the fight against maritime insecurity together with local navies through the mission Corymbe. The GOGIN project (EU/DK) that aims at improving the information exchange between people and systems became a tool to the attainment of this result. Result 5: Ongoing. The IcSP GOGIN (EU/DK) is proving to be key to improve information exchange and will continue to be implemented in all 19 countries, after the pilot phase Result 6: Improved law enforcement and judicial cooperation (incl. customs, coast guard, maritime police and gendarmerie) National level: supporting the development of national legal frameworks, ratification of international instruments and harmonisation with national legislation; 13

16 strengthening compliance with international legal instruments leading to higher maritime interdiction and prosecution Regional level: supporting standardising legal frameworks to be shared across the region and assisting countries to come up with law enforcement and judicial cooperation agreements All actions have an "Immediate" or "Medium Term" (one to three years) timeline The EU and Member States substantially contributed to this result. Denmark's support in this area was conducted mainly through the EU s GoGIN programme as well as through the IMO. Denmark also conducted capacity building and partnering with maritime authorities in Ghana. Danish Special Forces undertook training and capacity development of Special and Maritime/Armed Forces from Nigeria and Cameroun to increase their ability to address and handle maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea in support of a range of objectives set out in this report. The Netherlands strengthened its cooperation to prevent irregular migration, including training courses for Ghana's immigration services, airlines, handling agents and travel agencies, and other Ghanaian and West-African stakeholders. Two Ghanaian migration officers attended a migration management course at Maastricht School of Governance. Nine Royal Navy vessels visited GOG countries in 2016, supporting a range of objectives set out in this report with joint exercises and training. Spain ensured cooperation and training activities undertaken both by the Spanish gendarmerie force Guardia Civil and by the Spanish national police, with the coast guard and security forces of GoG and other West African countries, with a focus on countering irregular migration flows and other kinds of illicit trafficking, in particular with relevant and geographically near countries such as Senegal (i.a. personnel and two patrol boats of the Guardia Civil deployed in Senegal and regular visits by other units for joint exercises). Following the training of a special intervention unit of Cape Verde's Coast Guard, continued mentoring was undertaken during joint exercises with Spanish teams in visiting ships of the Spanish Navy (Atalaya in May 2016). Bilateral police/guardia Civil/coast guard cooperation and training activities were also arranged, based on agreements between the respective Ministries of the Interior, as well as actions with Guinea Bissau and Ghana to improve control of irregular migration and fight against illicit activities and training courses for Angolan police personnel. Two patrol boats donated by the Guardia Civil to Guinea Bissau's coast guard should also be delivered in France undertook law enforcement and judicial cooperation efforts to fight drug trafficking at national and regional level in the GoG through the ALCAO ("Appui à la lutte contre le trafic de cocaïne en Afrique de l'ouest") programme. France also organised workshops dedicated to law enforcement on drug trafficking and national audit on demand through the ASECMAR programme. 14

17 In the EU framework, an ongoing contribution to the Seahorse Atlantic Network of communication and information exchange between Spain and Portugal and six recipient West African countries (Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Morocco, and Senegal) was financed by the EU Aeneas programme in The Guardia Civil's Blue Sahel project will start in 2017, for the period Implementing the IUU Regulation, the EU assisted a number of countries of the GoG to develop and/or revise their legal framework governing fisheries as well as develop adequate organisational structures to manage fisheries and fight against IUU fishing. The Commission actively promoted ratification and implementation of all the relevant international legal instruments to fight against IUU fishing. These actions have been ongoing since the entry into force of the IUU Regulation in 2010 and the Commission continued to implement this policy. The EU were in dialogue and cooperating with most of the countries of the GoG. Through this dialogue, many of these countries developed or revised their legal framework as well as developing adequate organisational structures. 4 countries in the GoG were notified of the possibility of being identified as non-cooperating in the fight against IUU (Guinea, Togo, Ghana and Liberia). Of these countries, 3 have seen these demarches terminated (Togo, Ghana and Guinea) thanks to the tangible results achieved (including the revision of legal frameworks; development of Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) capacities, etc.) and one dialogue kept ongoing (Sierra Leone). The Commission also worked with the flag States of the fleets operating in the region. Guinea improved its response to illegal fishing. In October 2016, Guinea was removed from the EU list of third countries not cooperating in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The improvements concerned the regulatory field as well as the restructuring and reinforcement of the fisheries administration, the provision of means of control and enforcement, the control strategy and related sanctions for infringements, and increased transparency bin vessel registration. Nevertheless, these improvements needed to be closely monitored, given that the State's policies generally on maritime affairs were weak and their implementation hindered by poor inter-ministerial coordination and widespread corruption. Moreover, Guinea joined the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FITI). The aim of this initiative is to improve transparency of the private sector and increase resources from the fishery sector. The EU Project WAPIS for the West African Police Information system supported a criminal database established with the help of INTERPOL. Benin was a pilot country; this tool would be generalised across ECOWAS. In addition, the EU project to support Justice in Benin aimed at reinforcing the effectiveness of judiciary tools of first instance and appeal and at setting up legislation for the formation of police and magistrates. Ahead of the Extraordinary AU Summit on Maritime Security, Safety and Development (October 2016), Togo ratified several international instruments in maritime affairs. It also updated relevant legislation: Code de la Marine Marchande and the Bill on Fisheries and Aquaculture. However, the uncontrolled use of 15

18 Togolese flags by vessels remained a serious challenge. Togolese Law enforcement institutions benefitted from a broader EU funded programme in the Justice sector. In Senegal, under the SEACOP Project, the Joint Maritime Container Control Unit and the Maritime Intelligence Unit were created and given initial training (overall, total of 6 trainings for 121 trainees, 1 training for 17 staff in 2016) and equipment was donated to a value of about EUR Moreover construction of 9 joint border posts along the Senegal river at the border with Mauritania continued and training was held for over 50 police and customs agents on control and data collection methodology (only land /fluvial borders are targeted). In Guinea, efforts were on-going through France to improve the implementation of the convention of collaboration between the "prefecture maritime" and the "Centre national de surveillance de Pêches" signed in March Furthermore, through EU technical assistance to the public finance sector, efforts were on-going to improve collaboration for joint patrolling between customs and maritime police. Result 6: Ongoing- The EU and its Member States have continued in 2016 their regular cooperation or have started new capacity building projects for national and regional institutions Result 7: Improvements in transnational (zonal) cooperation National and Regional level: Mapping of training needs; Strengthening interagency co-operation Regional level: Mapping of assets to manage a maritime crisis (CRESMAO, CRESMAC, MOWCA, ICC); Coordinating use of civilian and military technologies /capabilities to aid with Maritime Domain Awareness; joined-up working with direct neighbours an regional MCCs helping Zones D & E to become fully operational All actions have an "Immediate" or "Medium Term" (one to three years) timeline, except the one related to strengthening inter-agency cooperation ("Long Term" (three to five years) timeline) The EU and its Member States were ready to support the implementation of the Yaoundé architecture. Existing projects helped to enhance transnational cooperation amongst GoG countries/zones/regions. The GOGIN project (EU/DK) became a tool to the attainment of this result. For Spain, in the context of visits to ports in the region as well as bilateral and multilateral exercises, the Spanish Navy cooperated with the national and multinational maritime centers in GoG states, such as Cape Verde's COSMAR and the Maritime Operations Center of the Senegalese Navy. Spain looked forward to strengthening cooperation with the interregional ICC as well as the new regional and 16

19 zone maritime centres to be established as part of the Yaoundé maritime security architecture. France organized short and long training programmes through the ISMI (Institut de Sécurité Maritime Interregional), and on demand of beneficiary countries through the Interregional Coordination Centre (ICC). Moreover, it supported the Naval School of Bata (Equatorial Guinea). As part of the Corymbe mission "AFRICAN NEMO", France organized exercises to train local countries at developing bilateral cooperation within the D and E zones, from Ghana to Congo. It also organized regional maritime exercises with the help of navy officers detached to national African navies. Result 7: Ongoing- All actions have a "Medium Term" (one to three years) or "Long term" timeline (three to five years). SUMMARY OBJECTIVE 2: The four results expected from Objective 2 were mostly for either Immediate or Medium-term timelines, with only a few exceptions for Long-term timeline. Actions already undertaken by the EU and its Member States should allow objective 2 to be reached on time, if enhanced political steer is provided by ICC, CRESMAO and CRESMAC, under ECCAS and ECOWAS guidance. 17

20 3. Third Objective: More prosperous and resilient economies and coastal communities 3.1. Result 8: Improved governance of key industries (incl. fishing and extractive industries) Strengthening the regulation and management of fisheries and extractive industries; identifying gaps where EU could assist Incentivising change with economic instruments and reinforcing the mandate of Regional Fisheries Management Organisations in the GoG All actions have a "Medium Term" (one to three years) timeline The Netherlands supported fishery development in Nigeria, Cape Verde and São Tomé e Príncipe. Projects were financed through the Private Sector Investment Programme, the Dutch Good Growth Programme and Private Sector Development Apps. They included the strengthening of fishery surveillance capabilities, shrimp farming, an EU certified seafood plant and fish food projects. Spain had a strong presence of Spanish fishing and oil gas sectors in the region; it supported the involvement with the local economies of GoG countries to mutual benefit. The Commission also indirectly encouraged GoG countries to incentivise change with economic instruments to favour the development of the legitimate fishing industry and discourage illegal operators by taking into consideration the level of sanctions and licence fees in its dialogue. Over recent years a significant number of countries of the GoG had increased their sanctions as well as their licence fees. In the framework of the IUU Regulation, it actively promoted regional cooperation in the GoG, as well as compliance with Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMO), rules and regulations. These actions were also supported through the sectoral support and capacity building actions under the SFPAs as well as the EU action in RFMO. These actions had been on-going since the entry into force of the IUU Regulation. For example, the Commission initiated the procedure following the pre-identification of Sierra Leone as a non-complying third country regarding the IUU regulations in April 2016 (Yellow Card) In the context of the 11 th EDF Regional Programme for West Africa, a new EUR 15.5 million project was adopted in June 2017 focusing on both combatting IUU fishing and promoting improved fisheries for a sustainable contribution to food security (PESCAO). The EU and its Member States supported a number of initiatives to promote transparency and accountability in the area of natural resources and in the extractive industry with a view to ensuring that countries obtain a fair deal from the exploitation of their natural resources and creating favourable business environment to help 18

21 reach development goals in a sustainable manner for example the European Commission is a partner organisation to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) where most Gulf of Guinea countries are members. Cameroon benefitted from EITI. Cameroon was also a beneficiary of the "Capacity development of mineral institutions and of small-scale private sector operating in lowvalue minerals in ACP countries". An inception workshop for this initiative was held on July 2016 in Brussels. In Senegal, the elaboration and implementation of regulation systems for shrimps and octopus fisheries sustainable management was achieved, including measures such as immersion of octopus pots, biological rest, coast surveillance, counter-iuu plans of action, stock assessment, institutional capacity building. As previously mentioned, Guinea joined, in December 2016, the Fisheries Transparency initiative (FITI), which help countries to strengthen the regulation and management of fisheries industries. Result 8: Ongoing- All actions have a "Medium Term" (one to three years) timeline. EU action in the field of fisheries is concrete and effective Result 9: Support for infrastructure projects, including ports Regional level: Supporting development of ports and maritime industries and attracting EU investment in the African maritime transport sector National level: supporting port compliance with ISPS Code and facilitating investment in relevant infrastructure. Facilitation of investment in relevant infrastructures as port All actions have a "Medium Term" (one to three years) or "Long term" timeline (three to five years) The EU launched a EUR 2 million project in Liberia to support the capacities of the Customs. The project would increase the efficiency and enhance trade facilitation in key ports and key border posts. Denmark supported IMO to build capacity in port security through IMO s West and Central Africa Maritime Security Trust Fund ( ). France had a number of development programmes in several harbour cities of the GoG, such as Douala and Ponte-Noire, focussing on access to energy, water, sanitation and other basic services. It also provided subsidies to Abidjan and Lomé harbours. 19