The PSD and IL political groups asked the Minister of Defense for access to the recently signed agreement in which the GNR and the Navy agreed for the first time on their respective roles in maritime defense within the framework of Eurosur (European Border Surveillance System). .
As DN reported, while it is considered “essential to creating the national situational framework for the integrated border management”, coat Secretary General of the Internal Security System, Paulo Vizeu Pinheirowho coordinated the process, the “Eurosur Cooperation Protocol”was initialed without any publicity on the 14thwith the digital signatures of the top heads of the five marine surveillance and security entities: Air Force, Navy, GNR, PSP and PJ.
This protocol has a very special meaning because it represents a kind of “white flag” between the Navy and the GNR – common historical and permanent conflict of jurisdiction – towards operational articulation and information sharing🇧🇷
O PSD and IL are surprised by the secrecy of the agreement and doubt the coincidence of this happening, exactly on the day the team of European experts arrived in Portugal which will verify that Portugal has complied with the recommendations of the last Schengen assessment of 2017, including the obligation of the Navy and the GNR to understand each other.
In its request, the PSD recalls the recent controversy over the Frontex aircraft in the Azores, which resulted in “contradictory statements between the GNR, the Navy and the Air Force” to request access to the document “urgently🇧🇷
Misleading the European Commission’s team of experts?
“How easily attained, the Protocol promoted by the Secretary General of the Internal Security System aims to convince the European Commission’s team of experts that the shortcomings identified in the 2017 Schengen Evaluation Report have been remedied and that in this way everything has been properly articulated between the different entities that intervene in the surveillance and control of our borders”, DN emphasizes the coordinator for Defense of the PSD Parliamentary Group (GP), Jorge Paulo Oliveira🇧🇷
“Now we know that’s not exactly the case,” he continues. 🇧🇷There is a visible conflict between the Navy and the GNR in the maritime fieldor if you like, between the Coastal Control Unit, of the GNR, and the Maritime Operations Center (COMAR), of the Navy”.
For this substitute”these differences should not existand the “articulation disturbances invoked must not occur”.
First, he notes, “because the legislation produced would be sufficiently enlightening. Secondly, because there are several agencies that supposedly carry out this coordination, see the case of the National Coordination Center Eurosur, in the GNR, where the liaison officers of the different branches of the armed forces “.
He adds that “the effort devoted to the implementation of this Protocol must not aim to mislead the European Commission’s team of experts, but resolve those differences🇧🇷 But only by knowing the full contents of the Protocol can we judge whether it is a suitable instrument for this”.
Jorge Paulo Oliveira regrets “the fact that this protocol was not signed until Portugal received the European Commission’s team of experts”, which he considers “one of those examples that show us that the PS government is only trying to solve the problems of forcefully resolve the country from the news impact of certain events, under pressure or in the aftermath of other events. Everything is for the 25th hour🇧🇷
IL: “Parliament must be informed”
IL emphasizes in its application, signed at the head by the Congresswoman Patricia Gilvaz, that “taking into account the problems with roll overlap about maritime surveillance between the five Portuguese actors and, very specifically, the dispute between the Navy, which heads the Maritime Operations Center, and the GNR, whose Coastal Control Unit of the GNR heads the CNC Eurosur, it is natural to be curious exists to know what terms are contemplated in this understanding”.
Also consider themoment of tension between the Navy and the GNR because of the aircraft the latter requested from Frontex”, as the Guards “have not been able to specify the type of threat from which such a request originated”.
Liberals are amazed at this “to know the importance and significance of such a concept in the context of the 2022/2023 Schengen evaluation” it was not “the Government, through the Secretary of Defense, which gave official notice of this Protocolas well as (…) the parties with parliamentary representation have not been informed of it”.
to DN Patrícia Gilvaz, the coordinator for the defense of the IL bankstresses that “knowing that there are overlapping functions related to maritime surveillance and a particular dispute between the Navy and the GNR” your party believes ” it is important to know the terms of this agreement. Especially when the moment of tension between the navy and the air force on the one hand and the GNR on the other hand was recently made public because of the aircraft Frontex had asked Frontex to patrol the sea of the Azores.
“We all know the importance and meaning of this concept whom we take the opportunity to greet, in the context of the Schengen evaluation 2022/2023, but we find it strange that Ms. The Minister of Defense has not yet informed the Assembly of the Republic about the content of this agreement, which is why we have submitted this request. Parliament must be informed about the contours of this concept”said the deputy.
Patrícia Gilvaz reveals that “with regard to solutions” IL “has been studying the topic”, but believes “that access to this document could help us draw important conclusions”.
Source: DN
