Interministerial Working Group on Maritime Safety

Maritime security has gained increasing importance within the European Union in recent years. The most recent and relevant developments in this field include the adoption in 2014 of the European Union Maritime Safety Strategy (EUMSS) and its Action Plan, revised in 2018, and the reporting on its implementation has been promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) through the collection of contributions from the various relevant ministries.

This topic, due to its special interest for Portugal, was one of the priorities of the national program of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union (PPUE), and there is a need to promote interministerial coordination in this matter. The Interministerial Working Group for Maritime Safety, promoted by the MFA, started in 2020, with the aim of sharing information between the entities in the group and establishing a consolidated national position in the area.

Representatives:

• Contact point at FCT: Stefano Amaral(stefano.amaral@fct.pt), FCT

FCT Involvement:

• FCT has contributed as an alternate focal point for the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, highlighting the importance and need for technology and innovation in the latest and most relevant developments in this field.

Initiative accompanied by the FCT Ocean Program.