Security and Europe's Sea Ports: threats and issues facing maritime gateways to Europe

The seas and oceans of the European Union play a significant role in its economic security and in areas of transport, employment, tourism, as a resource for both renewable and non-renewable energy, and as a source of food through its fisheries and aquaculture. However, the word security has many meanings in the context of Europe‘s maritime regions and borders. Germond, writing about the EU‘s security and the sea, identifies that in respect of the maritime dimension and security, this includes military and civilian aspects, intergovernmental and community components, and also institutional and geopolitical elements. The EU security policy therefore needs to be developed in order to obtain security within the EU‘s boundaries while also projecting that security beyond those boundaries.