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The European Union agencies: European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) based in Lisbon, the European Agency for the Management of Operational Co-operation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (Frontex) based in Warsaw and the Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA), based in Vigo, have concluded an agreement with a view to cooperate, in accordance with their respective mandates, in the field of maritime surveillance that will be mutually beneficial for the three agencies.
The Cooperation Agreement will allow for the exchange of information and of expertise as well as of for the exploration of joint use of assets as relevant, optimising the functioning of the European Union as a whole regarding Maritime Surveillance. The cooperation will result in an improvement of the control of external maritime borders of the EU (competence of Frontex), an increase in the maritime safety (competence of EMSA) and an enhancement of the coordination of fisheries control and inspection activities by the Member States (competence of CFCA).
The main activities comprised in the agreement are the following:
• Exchange of information and data on matters of common interest
• Explore synergies in the use of the maritime surveillance and information systems
• Explore the possibilities of joint use of assets
• Investigate potential cooperation in the field of maritime surveillance directed to the protection of external maritime borders and fisheries control
• Expand mutual collaboration between the Agencies in areas such as coordination of inspections, research and development, training, etc.
This week EFCA is conducting a 'training for trainers' session on Fisheries control and inspection for GFCM countries. 13 trainers from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria are participating in the training session.
Last week (23-26/05/2017), representatives from 20 European countries with sea borders joined Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, along with officials from the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA), and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) in Portugal to move forward with the cooperation on European coast guard functions.
During the three-day Coastex2017 Coast Guard exercise hosted by the Portuguese presidency of the European Coast Guard Functions Forum, vessels, helicopters, airplanes and 90 observers from European Coast Guard authorities conducted exercises to test different coast guard functions. The scenarios tested were: detection of migrants, search and rescue, medical evacuation, pollution, illegal fishing, boarding of a ferry transporting a dangerous person, seizure of drugs and arrest of the traffickers.
“I am delighted to see vessels and helicopters from Italy, Spain and Portugal as well as coast guard officers coming from Germany and observers from 20 European maritime countries taking part in this exercise,” said Berndt Koerner, Frontex Deputy Executive Director.
“Running exercises is crucial if we want to be effective at sea because it helps us test the best ways of working together in a variety of scenarios. The aim of this particular exercise, and the numerous seminars taking place behind the scenes, is to develop the best way of conducting coast guard operations together,” he added.
Coast Guard organisations differ from country to country in Europe. In some, the coast guard is mainly responsible for search and rescue, while other national authorities also cover responsibilities related to law enforcement, fisheries, maritime safety or pollution control.
Frontex has been working hand in hand with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) to cover the full scope of coast guard functions that go beyond border management.
This week in EFCA's premises a group of inspectors from the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) from the EU and Canada are participting in a workshop about conservation and enforcement measures. International cooperation strenghtens as participants discuss recent infringement cases to improve procedures.