The European framework
Concerning the European framework, besides the involvement of the Secretariat General in building an
integrated maritime policy, our priority is to develop a European coast guard.
The integrated maritime policy is carried by the DG Mare from the EU Commission and aims at strengthening
the coordination between the various fields of activity. It emphasizes the planning of the maritime space, the
joint maritime surveillance and the strategies of sea basins. At the national level, the Secretariat General for
the sea is the leader on all these subjects.
The creation of a European coast guard function has been approved by the Council of the European Union on
September 14th, 2016. The Secretariat General for the sea initiated contacts on this matter with the EU, and
especially with the Frontex Agency in Warsaw. These contacts will continue in 2017.
This new coast guard Function requests an effective coordination between operational centers of Member
states and centers managed by the Agency. It can also be seen as an oppor tunity to establish a joined and
coherent mean for maritime surveillance at the European level. This is the subject of the CISE (Common
Information Sharing Environment) project. The Secretariat General for the sea and the different French
ministries concerned follow this project.
The international framework
At the international level , the Secretariat General for the Sea works with the United Nations for the protection
of marine environment. An international agreement is currently in progress for the protection of the marine
environment and the biodiversity in open sea. Negotiations should lead to an implementation agreement of
the Montego Bay Convention. It raises major questions, especially concerning the principle of freedom of the
open sea. As requested by the French Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Secretariat General chairs a think tank
established by the administrations and by representatives of the civil society. It aims to collect observations
and to establish the French posit ion at this early stage of the negotiation.
Finally, the Secretariat General for the Sea is involved in the management of our territorial disputes with other
States (Tromelin and the Mauritius Island; The Scattered Islands and Madagascar; Clipperton and Mexico;
Matthew and Hunter and Vanuatu).