In recent years an increasing attention on European maritime border control can be observed within the European Union (EU). The increased focus can be traced to an emerging political willingness from the EU to develop their efforts on a common border control after reducing its internal borders. This together with the current challenges emanating from the irregular flows of migration, from particularly the southern neighborhood, has contributed to make the control of maritime borders a policy priority for the EU.
The aim with the PERSEUS project is to improving current surveillance mechanisms in order to better handle complex security challenges (organized crime, irregular migration, terrorism, trafficking) at play on the southern maritime border, located in the Mediterranean, interfacing with Northern Africa. The project is part of a broader effort within the EU that corresponds to improving border control, through the establishment of a “European Border Surveillance System" (EUROSUR). PERSEUS will introduce innovative capabilities and propose a large scale demonstration of a central EU Maritime surveillance System, integrating the existing systems and platforms in member states. PERSEUS is a three year collaborative project between 29 different partners from different European institutions, companies and research institutes. The project is coordinated by INDRA in Madrid. PRIO’s contribution in the PERSEUS project will be related to relevant policy and regulatory issues. This includes providing expertise on regulations on national, European Union and international levels, as well as on legal, ethical and human rights issues, linked to the direct implementation of the project. PRIO`s role in the project is hence particularly linked to:- Documenting the legal and political regulaions relative to maritime border control, and related security policies.- Analyzing the political, ethical and legal issues particularly related to border control and surveillance in Europe.PRIO Principal Researcher: PhD. Maria Gabrielsen Jumbert (PRIO)
