The present project addresses several key aspects of the new maritime security architecture of the European Union (EU) post 2020 from the viewpoint of public international law. The EU Maritime Security is of paramount significance not only for the efficient management of the maritime borders of the EU Member States, but also for the protection of common interests, like energy and the environment. As the EU Maritime Security Strategy underscores, there are novel threats ahead, such as the protection of critical energy infrastructures and of marine biodiversity. At the same time, the EU envisages the increasing use of drones or satellites for maritime surveillance purposes and gives funding to competent EU Agencies, like the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, to purchase and operate their own assets (vessels, planes, vehicles), instead of those of the Member States, for policing purposes. 

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Evidently, the above developments give rise to very intriguing and perplexing questions under international law, including whether the current legal framework is well-equipped to address these novel threats and challenges, like the use of earth observation tools, as well as to issues of shared responsibility and human rights law, including the right to privacy and data protection legislation. 

The project is being conducted under the auspices of the Athens Public International Law Center under the supervision of the Principal Investigator, Dr Efthymios Papastavridis, who has a long research record on matters concerning the law of the sea and maritime security and has concluded another research project at University of Oxford on fisheries and marine biodiversity. The research team comprises of postdoctoral and doctoral researchers, all experts in their respective fields, which with the valuable guidance of the Advisory Committee, consisting of worldwide established academics, will address the legal aspects of EU Maritime Security through the following discrete yet linked angles: i) novel threats; ii) maritime domain awareness; iii) maritime multilateralism and cooperation and iv) legal remedies. The final product will be presented in an international conference organized in Athens, to which a number of experts in the field will be invited to participate, and published in a volume by a reputable international law publisher.