EU and Britain to deepen cooperation on maritime security

Irish Examiner

19-05-2025

The European Union and Britain have committed to deepening cooperation on maritime security and protecting critical infrastructure, including on subsea data cables and energy pipelines.
The agreement could benefit Ireland's Defence Forces in improving its ability to know what is going on in its large maritime area — seven times the size of Ireland — and cooperate with British services in monitoring and patrolling zones that have clusters of cables and key pipelines.
The first EU-UK Summit in London also committed to increasing cooperation on hostile cyberattacks, protecting democratic institutions from foreign interference and countering terrorism and extremism.
The agreements on a Security and Defence Partnership were part of commitments on wider issues, such as fishing and trade.
Tánaiste Simon Harris welcomed the 'balanced programme of cooperation', which included commitments on emission trading, fisheries arrangements, electricity-trading and 'a Security and Defence Partnership outlining areas for EU-UK cooperation on security and defence policy'.
In a joint statement, the EU and British Government said: 'We confirmed our steadfast dedication to the rules based international order, with the UN at its core, and the fundamental tenets of democracy, respect for human rights and rule of law.'
The Security and Defence Partnership Agreement said the EU and Britain face 'a volatile and increasingly challenging security environment', as demonstrated by Russia's 'unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine'.
It said security and prosperity are 'closely interconnected and interdependent'.
'These shared interests go beyond traditional strategic domains, to include areas such as cyber and hybrid threats, space, and the resilience of critical infrastructure," it said.
In addition to strengthening cooperation on Ukraine, the Security and Defence Partnership also commits to:
Explore deepening practical cooperation on maritime security, including the security and resilience of critical infrastructure and secure sea lines and enhance 'joint activities at sea';
Develop further cooperation to prevent, deter and respond to malicious cyber activities and deepen exchanges and cooperation on building cyber capacity;
Cooperate on targeting hybrid threats, including with academic institutions, and exchange approaches on building resilience on key facilities such as underwater infrastructure;
Strengthen cooperation to counter malign foreign states or groups attempting to undermine security and democratic institutions by information manipulation and interference;
Develop cooperation on counter-terrorism and violent extremism
Mr Harris told the Dáil this month that three of the Naval Service's P60 class offshore patrol vessels were available for operations on a rotation basis.
He said a total of 97 personnel were inducted into the Naval Service in 2024 and that, to date in 2025, a further 37 personnel have been inducted into training.
He said the strength as of April 9 was 745 personnel, compared to an agreed establishment strength of 1,094.
Last week, a further 20 new sailors joined.
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