At the end of the 13th plenary session of the European Coast Guard Functions Forum (ECGFF), held in Split from 5 to 7 September 2022, Belgium took over the role of president from Croatia.
Belgian Coast Guard presidents Piet Pieters (Federal) and Nathalie Balcaen (Flemish) received the European flag during the ceremony and exchanged information on the organisation of this important event.
This forum is a unique and excellent tool that allows us to exchange information and experiences, learn from joint exercises and devise solutions to common problems together. In short: to strengthen our ties with the coastguard organisations of European member states.
The Belgian Coast Guard is organising several activities in the coming year:
- a workshop together with Frontex (the European Border and Coast Guard Agency)
- a workshop together with EMSA (European Maritime Safety Agency)
- a meeting of the Cyber Security Working Group
- the “COASTEX 23” exercise in cooperation with EFCA (European Fisheries Control Agency)
- a plenary conference in cooperation with DG MARE (Directorate General Maritime Affairs and Fisheries)
Thanks to the Belgian presidency, participants will get to know our diverse country and the Belgian part of the North Sea better.
The Scientific Service ‘Management Unit of the Mathematical Model of the North Sea (MUMM)’ of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) represents the Federal Science Policy Office as Coast Guard partner.