The Bluemassmed project relies on 4 working groups : the User group, the Legal group, the Technical group and the Communication group.

The User group (UWG):

The objectives of the UWG (and the results of its work) are a key issue to the added value of the BMM project. The BMM UWG is at the root of the enhanced co-operation in matters of maritime surveillance between BMM partners (and BMM Member States). Out of the state of the art, based on stated lacks, it identifies and defines the future extension of data exchanges between partners and their individual or already linked information systems.

The Legal group (LWG):

The main objectives of the legal group are to give legal support to the foreseen exchange of information, to define the extent of the exchange, and to give legal support to specific agreements. To reach that aim, the following specific objectives are established in four main steps:

- study the legal framework in European legislation regarding the exchange of information;

- catalogue the legal framework in the involved countries regarding exchange of information;

- elaborate and propose common, although specific, MoU between the different entities involved in the exchange of information in order to enable it

- propose a European legal instrument enabling and smoothing the progress of future interoperability.

The Technical group (TWG) :

The objectives of the TWG is to translate users’ requirement into technical challenges and possible solutions, choices and requirements, to meet the project objectives: technical background and possibilities based on state-of-art technologies, normalized system interfaces, standardization’s proposals of the co-operation protocols, technical requirement for the experimental system, for national adaptations/interface and for the experimentation, and monitoring the realisation of the system.

By means of the technical studies, the TWG will:

- establish the most appropriate service, data storage, network and dissemination architecture;

- define common models and formats for data and products shared across the architecture;

- establish tools and procedures for implementation of data exchange and data exploitation.

The Communcation group (CWG) :

The objectives of the CWG are the following: set a communication plan, manage a Web Site, produce and disseminate documentation (leaflets, etc..), organise or participate in conferences and/or seminars.

The BLUEMASSMED (BMM) Project aims to

-          define the architecture of the future European wide Maritime Surveillance Network that will allow the interoperability among all Maritime Surveillance Systems, existing or future, basing on an agreed, standard reference model, to optimise the efficiency in the use presently made of the maritime patrolling and surveillance resources.

The BMM Project represents the community forming and experimental phase preceding the full implementation of such a European wide capability and it will lay the foundation of such architecture, through the creation of a multi-national, operational and technical Core Community committed to design, test and validate the mentioned model.

-          develop methodologies and procedures common to all European Nations for the exploitation of the Network, taking into account the specific dual use nature, civil and military, of maritime surveillance.

-          mobilize partners around a concrete and practical process starting by requirement analysis, defining a coherent frame, and leading to a field demonstration of a shared basic common maritime picture (SBCMP) updated on a near real time basis, and leveraging this mobilizing end, to make incremental advances on users, legal, administrative and technical grounds.

The project is managed using a double structure headed by the BMM Steering Group :

• A coordination structure which deals with logistical issues (events organisation, availability of each participants, etc.).

It is comprising the Project Management Team (PMT), National Coordinators for the Interagency Network or Point of Contact

• An operational structure which manages to reach the objectives of the project in term of content.

It is comprising the project management team and 4 working groups (with a leader for each).

Operating chart

The Bluemassmed project is an innovative initiative from the European Commission aiming at increasing the cooperation for maritime surveillance in the Mediterranean Sea and its Atlantic Approaches.

France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain have decided to cooperate on this specific project to strengthen their common actions against illicit trafficking, illegal immigration and environmental pollution. It will also permit to reinforced the Search and Rescue efforts in the area.

This pilot project granted by the European Commission and co-funded by 6 Member States countries (France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain) is the first state-centred action to integrate such an important field between Member States countries.