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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
In addition to other learning materials, the EFCA has developed an e-learning platform for the training of fisheries inspectors (including from non-EU countries), Union inspectors, and Fisheries monitoring centres’ operators.
The e-learning modules and other training material such as video tutorials are now available in various languages on the EFCA e-learning platform under:
https://training.efca.europa.eu/
Member States, European Commission and other EU-Agencies officials are invited to register by using their professional e-mail address and by generating their own password.
This short video will give you an overview of the content and learning possibilities offered by the EFCA e-learning platform.
Improved regional fisheries governance in western Africa (PESCAO)
The project ‘Improved regional fisheries governance in western Africa (PESCAO)’ was adopted by Commission Decision C(2017) 2951 of 28 April 2017.
Overall objective
The overall objective is to enhance the contribution of fisheries resources to sustainable development, food security and poverty alleviation in west Africa. The specific objective is to improve regional fisheries governance in the region through better coordination of national fisheries policies.
Expected results
The expected results or outputs are as follows:
Result 1: A west African fisheries and aquaculture policy is developed and coordination of regional stakeholders is improved.
Result 2: Prevention of and responses to IUU fishing are strengthened through improved monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) at national and regional levels.
Result 3: Marine resources management at the regional level is improved, building resilience of marine and coastal ecosystems to perturbations.
Contribution of EFCA
The agency will support the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC/CSRP) and the Fisheries Committee for the West Central of Gulf of Guinea (FCWC/CPCO) in attaining the second result, including the specific results indicated below.
Result 2: Prevention of and responses to IUU fishing are strengthened through improved monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) at national and regional levels.
- Result 2.1. Fisheries’ legal frameworks are harmonised and consistent with international standards to ensure proper fight against IUU fishing.
- Result 2.2. Cooperation between countries, administrations and organisations is facilitated.
- Result 2.3. Infrastructure and equipment of a regional centre for MCS is improved as well as linkage with national MCS structures.
- Result 2.4. Countries’ and regional fisheries bodies’ (RFB’s) capacities in operational MCS are strengthened, along with their ability to sustain this in the long term through enhanced training programmes.
- Result 2.5. Joint regional fisheries/patrol missions are organised in the Gulf of Guinea.
- Result 2.6. A network of regional observers is set up to improve the monitoring of the industrial fleet operating in the region.
Duration and regional scope
The duration of the EFCA contract for implementing this project is 5 years (January 2018 to December 2022) and it covers the SRFC/CSRP and FCWC/CPCO areas. Actions will be carried out in close cooperation with these two organisations and will specifically target 13 countries that are members: Benin, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
Leaflet Contribution of the European Fisheries Control Agency to “Improved Regional Fisheries Governance in Western Africa" in EN, FR and PT.
7th Administrative Board meeting (13 March)
On 13 March the Administrative Board of the Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA) will hold its 7th meeting. Among the decisions to be taken are changes in the budget and the work programme to cater for the Joint Deployment Plan (JDP) for the recovery of blue fin tuna in the Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea.
The blue fin tuna JDP is the main new initiative of the CFCA in 2008. It is a joint community project in which Member States, the Commission and the CFCA are working closely together. It will mainly concern Member States with a strong interest in the fishery: Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain. The JDP will organise and co-ordinate control, inspection and surveillance of the bluefin tuna fishery activities at sea and on land, using resources that have been pooled from the participating Member States. The JDP activities will be co-ordinated by a Technical Joint Deployment Group (TJDG), which will be set up in Brussels on 1 April 2008 and remain there until the end of the year.
The Administrative Board will also discuss options for the 2009 work programme of the Agency. The Executive Director has proposed to continue the joint deployment plans for North Sea cod, Baltic Sea cod, blue fin tuna and the joint inspection and surveillance activities adopted under the North-West Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO), with a possible extension to Western Waters and the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Convention area (NEAFC), which are important fishing areas where there is a need for organizing operational cooperation between Member States concerned. The CFCA should also coordinate control and inspection of imports and landings in Community ports of fishery products originating from IUU fishing activities, organise training for fisheries inspectors and start an evaluation of the effectiveness of the joint deployment plans.
All staff visit Vigo (14-18 March)
The Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA) is moving to its seat in the Vigo, Spain, in July 2008. As a preparation for the relocation, all staff of the new agency and their partners will visit Vigo 14-18 March. During this trip the staff will be received, inter alia, by the Xunta de Galicia and the City of Vigo.
Background (14 March)
The decision to establish an EU Fisheries Control Agency was taken under the 2002 reform of the Common Fisheries Policy to strengthen monitoring and control of EU fisheries measures and to help ensure that they are applied uniformly throughout the EU. The Agency will liaise with the stakeholder-led Regional Advisory Councils to secure input from the fisheries sector and other stakeholders, and to help promote a culture of compliance with EU conservation and management measures throughout the EU.
The core activity of the CFCA is operational coordination of pooled national means of control, inspection and surveillance.
The Agency currently has 28 staff members from 12 EU Member States. It will be fully staffed (49 staff members) by the end of 2008.
Among the achievements of the newly created agency are three major coordination tasks carried out in 2007:
- Coordination of EU control, inspection and surveillance activities in the regulatory area of the North Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO), a task that previously was ensured by the European Commission.
- A Joint Deployment Plan for cod stocks in the North Sea, which started in July 2007 and will continue in 2008. The plan is an innovative and coordinated effort to combat over-fishing and save endangered cod stocks in the North Sea. Resources (inspectors, control vessels, aircraft, etc) were pooled by seven Member States and were deployed where they were most needed, to ensure more effective and uniform control of fishing activities.
- Joint inspection and surveillance campaigns in relation to the long term management plan for cod in the Baltic Sea, which deploy resources that had been pooled by the coastal Member States. The campaigns will continue in 2008.
The CFCA has adopted its annual report for 2009 at the meeting of the Administrative Board held on the 18th of March. The annual report illustrates all the activities carried out by the CFCA in its first full year at its seat in Vigo and with 98% execution of its budget. Moreover, at the meeting, the Board discussed the Preliminary Work Programme of 2011, the preliminary draft budget and the outline for a multiannual work programme.
"The results shown in the Annual Report of 2009 speak by themselves. I am fully confident that this new spirit of cooperation and enthusiasm at European level will deliver progressively compliance, in the interest of a profitable fishing industry that provides safe nutritious food for our citizens from a healthy marine environment," said Serge Beslier, Chairman of the CFCA Administrative Board.
2009 results
Operational coordination of control, inspection and surveillance activities by Member States in relation to recovery measures for depleted stocks has been the first priority for the CFCA. Compliance with recovery measures applicable to stocks of cod in the Baltic and North Sea areas, the eastern Atlantic blue fin tuna and regulated species in the NAFO and NEAFC Regulatory Areas have been the focus of the Agency's work in 2009. In particular, six Joint Deployment Plans (JDP's), giving effect to Specific Control and Inspection Programmes adopted by the Commission and RFMO Schemes for joint international inspection and surveillance, have been adopted and implemented by the CFCA. As result, the level of control, inspection and surveillance activities carried out under these JDP's has increased significantly.
The CFCA has worked closely together with Member States and the Commission. All joint activities have been planned and implemented on the basis of joint risk analysis, prior training of national inspectors, harmonised inspections, cross boundary control, inspection and surveillance activities and, to a large extent, by teams of inspectors of mixed nationalities. The level of cooperation has been exemplary and the first signs of enhanced compliance levels have been observed notably in the Mediterranean and the Baltic Sea.
In 2009, the CFCA has initiated also its activities in the area of the fight against IUU activities and in the area of Capacity Building in order to be ready for the priorities set for these activities in the 2010 Work Programme.
Mid–term priorities
The main priorities in the mid-term are:
• Supporting Member States and the Commission in applying the IUU Regulation.
• Operational coordination of inspection and control for cod in the North and Baltic seas, bluefin tuna, NAFO and NEAFC Regulatory Area, to be extended to Northern Hake, Swordfish and certain pelagics.
• Developing and strengthening the skills, abilities, processes and resources of enforcement authorities for the purpose of uniform and effective application of the rules of the CFP by Member States.
Proposed Draft Budget for 2011
The proposed draft budget of the European Union subsidy for the CFCA in 2011 is of 8.85 million Euros (7.28 million of administrative expenditure and 1.57 of operational expenditure). In comparison to 2010, it implies a 5.2% increase, as this year the CFCA has 8.41 million Euros subsidy.
Denmark has established a new Real-Time Closure in the North Sea for juvenile fish starting from 13/01/2024 to 02/02/2024 23:59 hrs.
Denmark has established a new Real-Time Closure in the North Sea for juvenile fish starting from 21/01/2024 to 12/03/2024 23:59 hrs.
Denmark has established a new Real-Time Closure in the North Sea starting from 22/02/2024 to 13/03/2024 23:59 hrs.