Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission

29.4.2020

Within the framework of phase one of the EU-Swiss-funded Integrated Border Management Tunisia project (ENI2015/362-394), one component supported the development and piloting of an Integrated System for Maritime Surveillance (ISMariS), a software solution platform. ISMariS allows for the integration of data collected from all available sources of the involved Maritime National Guard units and for displaying it on a map related to the monitored area.

Phase two of the Integrated Border Management Tunisia project, funded by the German Federal Office of Foreign Affairs, did not cover maritime surveillance, as the regional Border Management Project Maghreb (T05-EUTF-NOA-REG-07 (T05.519), covering both Morocco and Tunisia, took over.

ISMariS is a nationally developed communication solution for the Tunisian Garde Nationale Maritime, which is the policing unit of the Tunisian Coast Guard under the Ministry of the Interior. The system is currently still in development. The scope of the project is focused on strengthening of the national capacities.

The EU is encouraging international cooperation to save lives at sea and prevent criminal networks from operating. The EU is not informed about the precise nature of bilateral cooperation of the Tunisian Republic with its partners.