On 14 March, the Hybrid CoE hosted an event about maritime security. Because global maritime connections are vital for nations, Hybrid CoE addressed especially maritime vulnerabilities and resilience. The Centre’s Community of Interest (COI) on Vulnerabilities and Resilience organised a kick-start seminar to establish a network aiming to create a shared understanding of the topic. The fundamental idea behind COI activities is that sharing the views and experiences of the network’s participants will provide an overall picture of vulnerabilities and support pinpointing the best methods for improving resilience.
The kick-start seminar gathered some 50 participants to discuss maritime vulnerabilities and resilience and to connect with other participants. The participating actors were from ministries, business entities, embassies, academies, bureaus, defence forces, associations and universities of Hybrid CoE’s member states and from the EU and NATO communities. The event established a maritime network consisting of, among others, experts, advisors, researchers, practitioners, government officials, officers, directors and policy-makers from these sectors and communities.
In the future, the COI will organise workshops, seminars, and possibly also tabletop exercises and other useful events reinforcing maritime resilience and shedding light on maritime vulnerabilities. The proceedings aim at the following objectives:
- Shared understanding of vulnerabilities
- Improved resilience based on sharing best practices and making policy proposals
- Correct application of already existing regulatory frameworks (international and EU norms)
- Acknowledgment of available sources of funding (such as EU, NATO and other communities’ funding programs)
- Exploitation of opportunities from public–private partnership. The industry is invited to showcase the foreseen technology developments and to introduce its demands for the public sector (national and community level). This concerns especially development of the relevant regulatory frameworks
- Introduction of topics for further academic research
The work will continue along three strands: Ports, Shipping and Underwater Cables. The future agenda will be kept flexible and hence interested stakeholders may join in and actively influence it. The current network will be used and expanded for further liaising.
