Search results
In accordance with its founding regulation, EFCA may acquire, rent or charter the equipment that is necessary for the implementation of JDPs. In addition, in cooperation with Frontex and EMSA, the agency has to support national authorities in carrying out coastguard functions by, among other things, sharing assets and other capabilities.
Seaborne means of control
Within the abovementioned legislative framework and following an open call for tenders for the chartering of offshore fisheries patrol vessels, EFCA chartered three offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) from a consortium led by Sentinel Marine Netherlands.
The OPVs are called Ocean Guardian, Ocean Protector and Ocean Sentinel and all three are primarily deployed as fisheries patrol vessels in the Mediterranean, Black Sea, Western Waters, North Sea, Baltic Sea, NAFO and NEAFC.
The OPVs may also contribute to multipurpose operations in the framework of European cooperation on coast guard functions, such as providing support during search and rescue, maritime surveillance, and pollution response situations. These activities are performed in close cooperation with Member State authorities and/or with Frontex and EMSA.
The OPVs are Multi-Role Emergency Response and Rescue Vessels (ERRV) and all of them have a Dynamic Position System to better maintain their position and balance the environmental forces while reducing fuel consumption. The vessels are also certified with the ISO 14001, the international standard for environmental management.
"The chartering of three inspection platforms marks a turning point and materializes our strong commitment to support Member States authorities and the European Commission promoting compliance with the fisheries rules, as well as contributing for safe, secure and sustainable sea”, says Susan Steele, EFCA Executive Director.
Airborne means of control
In addition to seaborne means, EFCA has also at its disposal an aircraft to conduct aerial surveillance services for fisheries control, deployed under the Frontex inter-institutional framework service contract for Surveillance Aircraft Services for Border & Coast Guard Functions.
EFCA in collaboration with EMSA is deploying Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) from its OPVs.
With a view to reinforcing European cooperation on Coast guard functions, EFCA’s founding regulation was amended in September 2016 entrusting EFCA — together with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) — to support national authorities carrying out coast guard functions at national and Union level and where appropriate at international level.
This new cooperation was tested through a pilot project in 2016-2017, that showed the advantages to this cooperation. You can find the report here.
The three agencies define the modalities of their enhanced cooperation in a Tripartite Working Arrangement (TWA) which needs to be approved by their governing boards. The first TWA entered into force in March 2017 for a period of four years and, in March 2021, a new TWA was agreed and entered into force replacing for an indefinite period the first TWA. In accordance with the provisions of the TWA, a Steering Committee and Technical Subcommittees were established to manage the collaboration at strategic and technical level respectively.
The following five areas for improved interagency cooperation were defined:
- Area 1 - Information sharing
- Area 2 - Surveillance and communication services
- Area 3 - Capacity building
- Area 4 - Risk analysis
- Area 5 - Capacity sharing
The support to coast guard functions will promote cooperation between the three agencies to provide assistance to Member States national authorities in the implementation of the Coast Guard functions. EFCA involves Member State authorities and promotes the implementation of multipurpose operations in the areas where a JDP or an operational plan is established.
EFCA operates inspection assets in different areas that might contribute to multipurpose operations agreed with other Agencies and the Member States concerned (information about EFCA chartered means).
There are many different activities taking place in the maritime domain (e.g. transport, tourism, fisheries, aquaculture, oil and gas production) that are related with certain risks (e.g. accidents, pollution, illegal fishing, illegal migration, terrorism, ecological disasters). Member States have different military and civil authorities performing a range of tasks to monitor, surveil and control these activities. These tasks are referred to as Coast Guard Functions and a list of these functions are outlined in the Commission Recommendation of 20.07.2021 establishing a "Practical Handbook" on European cooperation on coast guard functions. C(2021) 5310 final:
- Maritime safety, including vessel traffic management;
- Ship casualty and maritime assistance service;
- Fisheries inspection and control;
- Maritime border control;
- Maritime environmental protection and response;
- Prevention and suppression of trafficking and smuggling and connected maritime law enforcement;
- Maritime search and rescue;
- Maritime monitoring and surveillance;
- Maritime customs activities;
- Maritime accident and disaster response;
- Maritime, ship and port security.
EFCA has a mandate to cooperate with other European agencies, namely EMSA and Frontex, to support Member States national authorities with competences for coastguard activities.
Compliance evaluation is a key element in assessing the effectiveness of fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) programmes and by extension the policies to which they relate. Trends in compliance can be very informative, both from a risk management perspective and also to gauge the rate at which industry is able to adapt to new policy or control measures. There are various ways in which compliance can be examined and assessed; their applicability and validity being dependent on data quality, fisheries, time series, the regulatory environment and the objectives of the assessment. Compliance evaluation is of particular value where compliance is used as a benchmarking tool by fisheries management agencies. Compliance may be expressed in several ways, both graphically and statistically. Perhaps the most appealing and visually comprehensible manner in which to express compliance is in the form of an index. The EFCA has been working since 2013 with the development of compliance evaluation methodologies, and is currently analysing with Member States the possibilities for an evaluation of compliance with the the landing obligation.
Baltic Sea
Executive Summary BS LO Compliance Evaluation Report 2017-2018 - Final version May 2021
North Sea
Executive Summary NS LO Compliance Evaluation Report 2016-2017 - Final version August 2019
North Western Waters
Executive Summary NWW LO Compliance Evaluation Report 2016-2017 - Final version August 2019
Pelagics
Member States Control Expert Groups (CEGs) assisted by the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) have carried out an evaluation of compliance with the Landing Obligation in selected fisheries in the North Sea and North Western Waters. The latest evaluation was performed to report the findings over the period 2018-2020 for mackerel fisheries and for significant demersal fisheries in the North Sea and North Western Waters.
North Sea
Full Report NS LO Compliance Evaluation 2018-2020 - Final version December 2023
North Western Waters
Full Report NWW LO Compliance Evaluation 2018-2020 - Final version December 2023
Pelagics
Full Report MAC LO Compliance Evaluation in NS and NWW 2018-2020 - Final version December 2023
Conclusions of the Advisory Board Meetings
- Meeting held on 19 October 2023
- Meeting held on 19 April 2023
- Meeting held on 24 October 2022
- Meeting held on 4 April 2022
- Meeting held on 8 October 2021
- Meeting held on 15 April 2021
- Meeting held on 9 October 2020
- Meeting held on 17 March 2020
- Meeting held on 21 October 2019
- Meeting held on 27 February 2019
- Meeting held on 9 October 2018
- Meeting held on 23 February 2018
- Meeting held on 20 September 2017
- Meeting held on 3 March 2017
The EFCA strategy to support regionalisation includes developing regional approaches and working closely with the regional bodies created by the Member States in order to promote in particular the uniform implementation of the Landing Obligation (LO) and also the adoption of decisions facilitating control in all the areas.
In this regard, EFCA cooperates through the PACT approach (Partnership, Accountability (compliance), Cooperation and Transparency) with all formally constituted regional bodies created by the Member States. The PACT approach allows assistance to the Member States in accordance with Articles 7 and 15 of EFCA’s founding regulation.
EFCA cooperates with four Control Expert Groups (CEGs) active in the framework of the regionalisation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP):
- Scheveningen (North Sea);
- BALTFISH (Baltic Sea);
- North-western waters;
- South-western waters.
Support for these regional bodies, through cooperation with the CEGs, is framed around the following subjects:
- Compliance evaluation in the context of the LO;
- Preparation for the implementation of REM in fisheries control;
- Standardisation and guidelines;
- Cooperation with industry to promote compliance.
In addition to these main areas around which cooperation is organised, EFCA gives the CEGs support in their work of developing recommendations to the respective High Level Groups (HLG) on control and monitoring of the LO. EFCA also facilitates interregional cooperation by organising and chairing joint CEG meetings on horizontal issues in order to promote a uniform implementation and a level playing field across regions.
In relation to this regional cooperation work EFCA staff participate in the different fora where the LO is discussed (Advisory Councils, STECF (Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries), scientific organisms, research projects, etc.) and organises joint workshops between Member State regional groups and stakeholders.