In October 2017 the Coast Guard secretary, together with a representative of our coast guard partner Defence took part in the summit meeting of the North Atlantic Coast Guard Forum (NACGF). The NACGF is a non-binding, voluntary forum founded in 2007. It counts 20 member states from the North - Atlantic region, including Belgium. Its main purpose is to promote and facilitate cooperation and to exchange information on best practices and experiences. The Coast Guard secretariat is the national point of contact for the NACGF. Chairmanship rotates per year among the participating countries and an annual theme is decided upon. There are seven working groups covering different themes (fishery, migration, SAR,...). Every year, in spring, there is an expert meeting followed by a plenary meeting in autumn, which all heads of delegations attend.
The summit meeting this year took place in Dublin, Ireland where Belgium offially accepted the chairmanship for next year. The expert meetings will be held in March 2018 and the summit meeting in October 2018, both in the seaside town of Ostend.