EU Statement – UN Security Council: Emerging Technologies and Maritime Security
Mr. President,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.
The Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro*, Albania*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina* and Georgia, as well as San Marino align themselves with this statement.
We commend the Greek Presidency for bringing this vital debate to the Security Council and we can only share their assessment of the urgency of addressing the topic.
The threat environment at sea is evolving quickly. The proliferation and misuse of autonomous and uncrewed systems — aerial, surface, and submarine — enable State and non-State actors to disrupt freedom of navigation, target commercial shipping, subsea cables, and pipelines, and hold global supply chains hostage. Increasing digitalization introduces acute cyber-vulnerabilities to port operations and critical undersea infrastructure. Incidents affecting maritime infrastructure can also have serious consequences for the marine environment and coastal communities. These tech-driven disruptions directly threaten international economic stability, energy and food security. They also endanger the life and safety of innocent seafarers, who must remain at the centre of our protection efforts. We cannot accept a reality where new technologies are used to bully, intimidate, or disrupt the global commons and to imperil human life and undermine the protection of civilians.
Conversely, innovation can be harnessed to protect the global order. When used responsibly, advanced surveillance, AI, drones, advanced sensor and data sharing act as powerful tools for security. They allow the international community to monitor the oceans, predict threats, and protect critical infrastructure and trade routes. AI in the maritime sector must remain under human control and in full compliance with international law.
The EU recalls the universal and unified character of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out. New and emerging technologies must always respect international law, including international human rights and humanitarian law. Innovation must always remain subject to human oversight and state accountability.
On 12 October, the EU launched a global “Pledge on Maintaining the Integrity of the International Law of the Sea – No Fees/No Tolls”. Together with 62 countries, we firmly reject any unlawful fees, compulsory tolls, or arbitrary restrictions designed to choke strategic international straits. Recent developments in the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab-el Mandeb, and the Black Sea illustrate the urgency of our discussions. Weaponizing global lifelines for political leverage or financial gain is unacceptable.
The EU is translating these principles into political resolve. We are building defensive, non-escalatory capabilities, as we invest in cyber-resilient naval capabilities, maritime domain awareness, autonomous underwater and mines countermeasures, advanced sensing, and AI, with a focus on interoperable systems to ensure a more comprehensive and effective response to maritime threats. Not to project power, but to protect the rule of law. EU naval operations ATALANTA in the Western Indian Ocean, ASPIDES in the Red Sea, and IRINI in the Mediterranean — whose mandates now also address shadow fleets —, together with our Coordinated Maritime Presence in the Gulf of Guinea, are substantial European contributions to safeguarding freedom of navigation, including against tech-driven violence, and to the safety of seafarers.
As emerging technologies rapidly reshape maritime threats, our collective responses must evolve just as quickly. The EU calls on all UN member states to ensure that the future of maritime security, in its broad sense, is defined by multilateral cooperation, transparency, and technological cooperation, to allow for the rapid detection of malicious activities, facilitate real-time information sharing, strengthen maritime domain awareness, build capacity, prevent escalation, and enhance the operational resilience of international shipping.
We must ensure that innovation serves as a pillar of global stability, firmly anchored in international law.
Thank you.
- North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.