This morning at EMSA, the European Coast Guard Functions Forum (ECGFF) thematic workshop opened in Lisbon, bringing together coast guard authorities, EU institutions and experts, including European Fisheries Control Agency - EFCA and Frontex for a day and a half of exchange on current maritime challenges, under the theme “Maritime challenges: from addressing geopolitical shifts to capacity building in support of coast guard operations.”

The discussions focus on how geopolitical developments and hybrid risks, the transition towards lower-emission shipping, and rapid technological change are affecting coast guard functions across Europe, often in different ways across sea basins.

Opening the workshop, EMSA’s Executive Director reflected on the changing operating environment and the need to work together in response:

• “We are operating in an environment of growing complexity and uncertainty, shaped by geopolitical developments, technological change and environmental transformation … No single authority, and no single agency can address these developments alone. We must act together.”