Maritime interference and shadow fleets: a serious threat to security and the environment

Motion for a resolution | Doc. 16282 | 08 October 2025

Signatories:

Ms Miapetra KUMPULA-NATRI, Finland, SOC ; Mr Pekka AITTAKUMPU, Finland, ECPA ; Mr Denis BEGIC, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Jone BLIKRA, Norway, SOC ; Mr Edmunds CEPURĪTIS, Latvia, SOC ; Mr Petri HONKONEN, Finland, ALDE ; Mr Mogens JENSEN, Denmark, SOC ; Mr Mattias JONSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Zanda KALNIŅA-LUKAŠEVICA, Latvia, EPP/CD ; Ms Olena KHOMENKO, Ukraine, ECPA ; Ms Saskia KLUIT, Netherlands, SOC ; Mr Eerik-Niiles KROSS, Estonia, ALDE ; Mr Max LUCKS, Germany, SOC ; Ms Mariia MEZENTSEVA-FEDORENKO, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Ms Anna-Kristiina MIKKONEN, Finland, SOC ; Ms Wanda NOWICKA, Poland, SOC ; Mr Sigurður Helgi PÁLMASON, Iceland, SOC ; Ms Marijana PULJAK, Croatia, ALDE ; Ms Azadeh ROJHAN, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Ingjerd Schie SCHOU, Norway, EPP/CD ; Mr Frank SCHWABE, Germany, SOC ; Mr Georgios STAMATIS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Ms Kadri TALI, Estonia, ALDE ; Ms Victoria TIBLOM, Sweden, ECPA ; Mr Markus WIECHEL, Sweden, ECPA

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

In its Resolution 2593 (2025) “Foreign interference: a threat to democratic security in Europe”, the Parliamentary Assembly called on member States to enhance resilience, reinforce public trust and safeguard institutional integrity to protect their societies from hybrid influence aimed at disrupting the functioning of democracy. Today’s hybrid challenges take many forms. Shadow fleet activities, often using unseaworthy vessels without transponders, GPS-disturbance and attacking critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea and other fragile sea areas, such as the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, pose a serious threat to democratic security and have the potential to cause immense ecological disasters that could negatively impact costal States and their populations.

Maritime interference should be addressed from the perspective of security, the environment and international regulation. Risking an ecocatastrophe may or may not be the aim of such hybrid activities, but the potential effect is massive as currently there is not sufficient capacity and co-ordination to treat such oil spills, which could seriously disrupt coastal societies. Member States thus have a responsibility towards their peoples to act in a way that hinders shadow fleet operations. There is need for a common situational picture of the potential risks to democracy, as well as action plans and equipment in place in case disaster strikes.

The Assembly should look at the threat of disruptive underwater and overwater activities and analyse the potential dangers and risks such activities can pose on security, the sea environment and costal member States and their societies. The aim should be to provide Council of Europe member States with appropriate tools to prepare for and prevent shadow fleet activities, as well as look at ways to increase international co-operation in this field.