Cooperation within the EU and NATO
The Government has instructed the Swedish Coast Guard to strengthen Swedish participation in international cooperation within the agency's area of operations.
The assignment includes the following tasks:
- Act as the national operational contact point within NATO's network for the protection of critical undersea infrastructure, the Critical Undersea Infrastructure Network (CUIN), in close cooperation with the Swedish Armed Forces.
- Coordinate the national implementation of the EU Maritime Security Strategy (EUMSS) and its action plan.
- Take part in the EU's common platform for information sharing, the Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE) cooperation.
- Act as the operational contact point within the cooperation on the protection of infrastructure in the North Sea, the Joint Declaration on Cooperation Regarding Protection of Infrastructure in the North Sea. The assignment must be carried out in cooperation with the authorities concerned, such as the Swedish Armed Forces, the Swedish Maritime Administration, the Swedish Police Authority, the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority, Svenska kraftnät (Swedish National Grid) and the Swedish Energy Agency.
NATO's network for the protection of critical undersea infrastructure
NATO has set up a network, the Critical Undersea Infrastructure Network (CUIN), to improve the security of undersea infrastructure.
The network focuses on information sharing and on raising awareness of potential threats. It has two parts: a strategic part and an operational part. Within the network, the Swedish Coast Guard is Sweden's operational contact point.
Read more about the Swedish Coast Guard and NATO.
The EU Maritime Security Strategy
The EU Maritime Security Strategy (EUMSS) and its action plan were updated during the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU and adopted by the Council in October 2023. In 2026, a first evaluation of the implementation of the action plan is to take place, in the form of an implementation report from the Commission. The action plan includes 164 activities that concern Swedish authorities to varying degrees.
The Coast Guard is concerned by about eighty activities. Activities that strengthen operational capability and create synergies between member states are particularly important.
One of the key principles of the maritime security strategy is to develop and strengthen civil-military cooperation. The action plan highlights a number of activities for this, covering both operations outside the EU and information sharing between different maritime surveillance systems.
