IMPORTANT NOTICE: the tender deadline will be extended in the next days by a corrigendum. The new tender deadline will be 06/02/2017. A corrigendum is also done to replace TCF requirement for recycled paper products with ECF or PCF requirement. See replaced Annex G in the eTendering.
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The European Fisheries Control Agency has presented the new tools to develop a culture of compliance in a reformed Common Fisheries Policy at the European Parliament. Indeed, in the context of the new policy being designed, the EFCA, within its mandate, is ready to contribute to the success of the new CFP and the key features of regionalisation and discard ban and develop the necessary tools.
During 2013, while addressing its core tasks coordinating operational control activities in the European Union, the EFCA is focusing on new developments that shall enhance the culture of compliance and level playing field across the fisheries sector in Europe. In this regard, there are particular tools that will allow for new impetus towards this objective, ensuring that there is a level playing field across Europe and that fisheries control is done in the most cost-efficient way:
- Regional Joint Deployment Plans (JDPs): The Agency applies its budgetary resources towards JDPs as the vehicle through which the Agency organises the deployment of the national human and material means of control and inspection pooled by the Member States. JDPs promote the cost-effective use of human and material resources of Member States in a coordinated way and the Agency has started to extend JDPs to cover regional, multispecies joint deployment plans (NEAFC, NAFO and Pelagic species in Western Waters). EFCA wishes to move to regional, multispecies and permanent fisheries in a very near future.
- Discard ban control strategies: The measure would be preferably implemented through the regional JDPs, enabling strategic decisions to be taken at steering group level, and then EFCA can help monitor it effectively. Depending on the characteristics of the fishery, different methods could be applied and available tools would be used and tested.
- Cost-effectiveness and Compliance evaluation Focus Groups: Two focus groups have been set up to evaluate compliance and cost effectiveness in control operations.
- Core curriculum: The near completion of a core curriculum for the training of the fisheries inspectorate of the Member States for the first time ever will contribute to and apply the Common Fisheries Policy effectively and in a uniform manner.
- EFCA ICT Systems: They are designed to complement individual national systems. These are unique systems developed by the Agency and made available to Member States to support control of the CFP at the EU level. These electronic tools allow for a continuous real time exchange of data and intelligence, thereby restricting the possibilities for the manipulation of information and helping in limiting non-compliant behaviour.
“EFCA model has been successful in improving compliance through the coordination of actions and assets. The 5 year external evaluation of the EFCA confirmed the relevance, efficiency, and effectiveness of its activities,” said Pascal Savouret, EFCA Executive Director. “The EFCA, in its coordination and assistance role, will be a strong driver of compliance.”
The Director General of Maritime and Fisheries Affairs of the European Commission, Mr. Joao Aguiar Machado, visited the European Fisheries Control Agency today with a view to have a good insight of the Agency activities and an exchange of ideas on the ongoing projects.
During his visit, the Director General could find out more about the operational activities of the Agency, its systems, the monitoring of the landing obligation and its contribution to the European Coastguard initiative.
Aguiar Machado highlighted the importance of the work of the Agency in assisting the European Commission and bringing Member States to work together to implementing the Common Fisheries Policy. He thanked EFCA staff for its commitment and congratulated them for their valuable work in joining the Coast Guard initiative.
“Your work is an extension of ours in Brussels, we are part of the same project,” said Mr. Aguiar Machado when addressing EFCA staff.
To mark the celebration of the international World Oceans Day, held every year on 8 of June, the agency organised an internal photo contest. The theme of the competition was "Wonders of the Oceans". The photo collage below reflects an arbitrary selection of photos from the finalists of the EFCA Photo Contest 2016.
As previously announced during the celebration of Europe Day, the European Fisheries Control Agency is sponsoring a mural, which main purpose is to highlight the importance of ocean sustainability, in collaboration with the programme of urban art launched by the City Hall of Vigo. The latter is contributing to the project by providing the materials, assembly and machinery.
The works to paint the mural have started this week. The project shares the same goal, that of raising awareness regarding ocean sustainability, as other international programmes such as Sea Walls Murals for Oceans, with whom the Agency has been in contact this year. In this way, the project serves its purpose to emphasize the need to protect our oceans through public art. In addition, the mural aims at making visible the work of the Agency in a city such Vigo, where the ocean plays an important role, as well as building ties with its citizens.
The mural will be located in one of the adjoining walls located closest to the ocean in Torrecedeira street number 4. Due to its European dimension, the project involves artists of three different nationalities: Fernandez & Gonzalez fom Vigo, known for their careers as plastic artists and for revitalising the cultural space of the Halcón Milenario, will paint one of the façades; the Portuguese artist Federico Draw, with recognized expertise in urban art in the neighbouring country and Europe, will bring to life the second façade; in addition, the Irish poet Keith Payne, in partnership with Proyecto Ewa, has written a poem dedicated to the sea which, translated into Galician, will raise the profile of this initiative.
Through this mural, the European Fisheries Control Agency aspires to demonstrate by means of audio-visual communication that art is able to convey the Agency’s ultimate goal, which main mission resides in the coordination of fisheries control: the need to ensure oceans sustainability over time.