News

A workshop on “The Ethics of Border Management Surveillance Technology” took place via webinar on the 15^th of June 2023. As experts in the ethics of new technologies, Trilateral Research was chairing the discussions on ethical, social, and legal implications of an EU Border Management Surveillance System.

The workshop was designed to bring together EURMARS project partners as specialists in the field of surveillance technology and border management, and civil society representatives focused on the protection of human rights, to discuss the latest developments and challenges in border management.

It was a great opportunity for project partners and other professionals to share perspective on the Ethics of Border Management Surveillance Technology and discuss to what extent these perspectives should be considered during EURMARS and/or other border management projects.

Topics that where discussed:

• EU Border Management: challenges and path going forward
• Overview of the EURMARS Project and its objectives
• Ethical and Social Implications of EU border Management Surveillance Systems
• Legal Framework and Best Practices for Border Management Surveillance Systems
• AI Act and its impact on border management surveillance technologies
• Best Practices for Border Management Surveillance

The EURMARS Project actively participated in the prestigious RISE-SD 2023 conference that took place in Rhodes, Greece on 29 – 31 May,2023. The “Research and Innovation Symposium for European SECURITY and Defense 2023” (RISE-SD 2023) is an international event stemming from previous initiatives, and aiming to bring together the European R&D communities in Civil Protection & Defense.

This symposium revolved around key topics crucial to our society’s safety and resilience:

• Civil Protection and Disaster-Resilient Societies
• Critical Infrastructures Resilience and Smart Cities
• Better protect the EU and its citizens against Crime and Terrorism
• Protection of Public Spaces
• Effective Management of EU External Borders
• Enhancing the defense capabilities of the EU
• Enhancing Cybersecurity
• Strengthened Security Research and Innovation

AIT Austrian Institute of Technology was present at the RISE-SD 2023 conference and had the privilege to showcase the EURMARS Project’s contribution in these domains, alongside with other esteemed experts and visionaries. The conference fostered insightful discussions, fruitful collaborations, and groundbreaking ideas.

SKYLD LTD as an exhibitor at the Cyprus Defence & Security Conference (CYPSEC) 2023 Nicosia representing one the companies in the Defense and Security industry in Cyprus, had the chance to present the EURMARS, (An advanced surveillance platform to improve the EURopean Multi Authority bordeR Security efficiency and cooperation) project to different exhibitors and visitors.

 Cyprus Defence & Security Conference (CYPSEC) 2023 Nicosia was held on 15-16 May 2023, in Nicosia – Cyprus.

The organization of the conference follows the new 5-year term of the Presidency of the Republic of Cyprus and the corresponding appointments of new administration of the MoD & National Guard, the lifting of the US embargo and the new geopolitical issues in the wider Eastern Mediterranean region related to energy and not only, which will be high on the agenda for the next period of time.

The aim of the conference is to present the capabilities of the most modern and effective technology in Defense & Security matters to the new Cypriot authorities, in the context of today’s unstable international environment which is full of security challenges. Dealing with them requires, in addition to continuous diplomatic efforts, the exchange of knowledge and cooperation, especially with large technological players.

The conference was attended by the Ministry of Defence, the Chief and senior officials of the National Guard, representatives of ministries and other interested Cypriot authorities, representatives of EU member states, international organizations and the international defence industry.

The first EURMARS Plenary Meeting after the Kick-Off took place in Sofia, on March 21 and 22, 2023! It was great opportunity for the whole consortium to collaborate in person and discuss the latest advancements and developments in topics related to the project.

A EURMARS end-user workshop was held in Sofia, Bulgaria at the end of January 2023. The EURMARS consortium had the chance to meet in-person to discuss the progress of the currently ongoing tasks focusing on the needs of the end users and the envisioned pilot features.

The EURMARS Kick-off Meeting was held in Athens, Greece on October 11 and 12, 2022. During the two- day meeting the partners presented their vision and plans for the tasks they lead, and analysed the work that needs to be done especially in the forthcoming months in order to conclude on the next steps and start the project’s development with no delays.

EURMARS is an advanced surveillance platform to improve the EURopean Multi Authority BordeR Security efficiency and cooperation. The project has been chosen to receive funding from EU under the call: Border Management 2021 (HORIZON-CL3-2021-BM-01).

The EURMARS project started on the 1st of October 2022 with a duration of 36 months and the consortium is held by 18 partners.