CRIMARIO II starts its inception phase!
CRIMARIO II was launched in May 2020 with a view to building upon the experiences gained in CRIMARIO I, and expanding its geographical scope eastwards towards South and Southeast Asia. The areas of focus are maritime domain awareness and law enforcement, with the objective of contributing to a safer and more secure maritime domain, through cross-sectoral, inter-agency and cross-regional cooperation.These objectives reflect the EU’s priority towards deepening security cooperation with its Asian partners, taking into account shared maritime security interests. Read the full announcement and discover the team.
During the first part of the Inception Phase I (ending on 31st October 2020), the team will map out the state of play in terms of beneficiary country and organization capabilities and gaps, to identify areas where CRIMARIO can best offer support, in synergy with other organizations. Once the remote mapping exercise has been completed, the team will deploy to the Indian Ocean and Asia, with a view to confirming knowledge acquired and identifying potential beneficiary countries and organisations willing to take cooperative ventures forward.
Other activities
Online meeting with IFC Singapore
CRIMARIO has already began engaging with countries and organisations, a case in point being the online meeting with the Information Fusion Centre (IFC) based in Singapore, during which both entities briefed about their respective objectives and experiences, and discussed opportunities whereby the links between the eastern and western Indian Ocean regions could be strengthened. Read more.
EU-UNODC Exchanges on the Crime and Terrorist Situation in Southeast Asia
Between 15 and 24 June 2020, members of the CRIMARIO team participated in a series of online discussions on the main criminal and terrorist threats to Southeast Asia organised by UNODC and the EU. Given the expanded geographical scope of CRIMARIO II covering South and Southeast Asia and the maritime dimension of several crimes discussed in the webinars (e.g.: terrorism, migrant smuggling and human trafficking, counterfeit goods, environmental crime, drug trafficking, etc.), it was important for the project’s team to assist the in-depth presentations of the current situation in the region and the key issues in relation to each type of crime.
Videoconferences and upcoming events
During this “remote” inception phase, CRIMARIO remains active and engaged with the different partners and counterparts. Participation in online events is also extremely important to maintain project visibility, even if physical interactions are not yet possible. Here below is a list of online meetings and events taking place in July:
- 9 July 2020: Videoconference with UNODC
- 14 July 2020: Discussion with US counterparts (US Navy, ODNI)
- 13-17 July 2020: Cutlass Express 21 Initial Planning Event (IPE)
- 14 July 2020: Presentation of the State of Piracy 2019 report, prepared by StableSeas
- 15 July 2020: 35th Shared Awareness Meeting organised by IFC Singapore