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After two years since the beginning of the functioning of the control activities coordinated by the CFCA and one year since the Agency installed in Vigo, the CFCA has assessed its functioning and discussed with Member States the way forward during a three day seminar in Vigo. From 8 to 10 of July, representatives of 20 Member States, the European Commission and the CFCA have analysed the work carried out so far, discussed on the best practices and set out guidelines for the future.
¨The discussions showed that much has been already achieved and the cooperation between Member States in fisheries control is a reality today. However, operational coordination between Member States alone is not enough. The establishment of a culture of compliance requires further efforts from all authorities concerned and in particular a common strategy shared by Member States leeading towards compliance. The CFCA will assist actively the Member States and the Commission in defining and executing such a compliance strategy¨ said Harm Koster, Executive Director of the CFCA.
On the basis of the experience of the two last years and discussing on the three issues proposed ¨ The assessment of the Joint Deployment Plans (JDP) and performance indicators¨, ¨Risk analysis in Control and strategies for enforcement and Best practices in JDPs coordination, the CFCA has well taken note of the recommendations coming out from the sessions on how to follow from here. In general, the JDP experience shows that, given the particularity of each region in European fisheries, taylor made solutions have been successful. The CFCA will continue brokering operational cooperation in this way, adapting to the realities of the different regions while the respect to quality standards and a level playing field is ensured. For the CFC will not be “one size fits all”.
Amongst the different recommendations to the CFCA coming out of the seminar, these are the most relevant ones:
• To continue with JDPs that take into account the conditions of the different areas/fisheries
• To adopt, where appropriate, multiannual JDPs, consistent wiith the time-frame of the relevant specific control and inspection programmes of the Commission.
• To carry over a study on the application of web based systems to exchange information in the framework of the JDPs
• To create a working group with Member States and the Commission to facilitate the cooperation to implement the IUU regulation
• To apply a procedure to adopt the annual assesment report of each JDP
• To develop a methodology to assess JDPs, in consultation with Member States and the European Commission
• To promote further development of performance indicators
• To apply the risk analysis for control operations method discussed in the seminar
• To facilitate the exchange of good risk analysis methodologies between Member States, and support the development of a risk analysis tool that may be of benefit to them
• To work on the development of common guidelines applicable to risk managament and appropriate impact evaluation procedures
• To become a training centre for control and inspection bodies
Due to the success in terms of participation and content of the seminar, an annual assesment seminar for the years to come will be contemplated in the future work programmes of the Agency. In fact, the organisation of the seminar was already foreseen in the Work Programme for 2009 where it said that ¨the two years experience of the functioning of the JDPs allow the discussion of some aspects which can be improved through the integration of some of the good practices observed to be as effective as possible¨.
More informations on the seminar:
From 8 to 10 of July, representatives of 20 Member States, the European Commission and the CFCA have analysed the work carried out so far, discussed on the best practices and set out guidelines for the future. After two years since the beginning of the functioning of the control activities coordinated by the CFCA and one year since the Agency installed in Vigo, the CFCA has assessed its functioning and discussed with Member States the way forward during a three day seminar in Vigo.
Documents of the meeting:
Community Fisheries Control Agency adopts an ambitious work programme for 2010 with special emphasis on the fight against IUU fishing
The CFCA has adopted its work programme and budget for 2010, which places special priority to the fight against Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. The work programme caters for the assistance to Member States and the Commission in the implementation of the regulation to prevent IUU fishing throughout the Community in a uniform manner. Moreover, operational coordination of control, inspection and surveillance activities will continue in the already consolidated Joint Deployment Plans (cod in the Baltic Sea, North Sea and Western Waters, bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic and NAFO and NEAFC RA). The efforts of the CFCA to enhance the capacities of Member States to apply the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy in a uniform and effective manner will be increased in particular in the areas of training of national fisheries inspectors and pooling of data and information.
After many years of work to develop effective measures on international level, within the FAO and RFMO's, and at European level, by the Commission, to which I have personally actively contributed, at the first of January 2010, the Council Regulation establishing the Community system to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing enters into force. For this reason, in my capacity as Chairman of the Administrative Board of the CFCA, it is a great pleasure to announce that the fight against IUU fisheries, as an overriding priority, is at the core front of the CFCA Work Programme 2010, ? said Serge Beslier, Chairman of the CFCA Administrative Board.
The European Union is well prepared to fight against Illegal Unregulated and Unreported fishing. As from the start of 2010, the CFCA will closely work together with Member States and the Commission in the application of the regulation against Illegal Unregulated and Unreported fisheries (IUU). This piece of legislation will reassure consumers that the fish they eat has been caught legally and that its consumption does not damage marine environment. For the CFCA, the IUU regulation is its main political priority this year.
Before the upcoming reform of the Common Fisheries Policy in 2012, the enhanced effective and uniform application by Member States of the new regulatory framework should mark a clear shift towards a culture of compliance at Community level. The CFCA Work Programme has been elaborated having this objective in mind.
The 2010 Work Programme provides for:
- The support to the implementation of the Regulation to prevent the Illegal unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing that will imply important efforts from the CFCA, Member States and the Commission. The priority is recognised inside the Work Programme through a substantial increase in the budget (multiplied by four) and in the dedicated staff that grows from one to five people. Additional needs will be evaluated during next year.
- The consolidation of the joint deployment plans operating in fisheries where fleets from several Member States exploit shared stocks, particularly those which are outside a safe biological limit and subject to a Specific Control and Inspection Programme adopted by the Commission or to an International Control Scheme (cod in the North Sea and Western Waters, cod in the Baltic Sea and bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean and the Eastern Atlantic, NAFO and NEAFC R.A).
- Capacity building assists Member States and the Commission in applying the rules of the Common Fisheries policy in a uniform and effective manner, in particular, through the coordination of training of inspectors and facilitating the pooling of data and information relevant to fisheries control, inspection and surveillance.
The activities listed in the annual Work Programme of the CFCA are undertaken on a multiannual basis and will have a short/mid term impact on compliance levels.
"Being on cruising speed one year after its relocation to Vigo, the CFCA is ready to take up its duties in assisting Member States and the Commission in the fight against IUU activities. Indeed, we will work hard to fight against illegal fishing in the framework of the new regulation that authorises Member States to ban illegal catches from the Community market. Illegal catches do not only undermine sustainable exploitation of living marine resources but also cause unfair competition to fleets operating in compliance with the applicable conservation measures," said Harm Koster, Executive Director of the CFCA.
The heads of European Union Agencies met today with European Commission President José Manuel Barroso to discuss ways to strengthen their partnership with the European Commission and to share their views on the EU’s future approach to the governance of the Agencies.
The 28 EU agencies were established to help implement EU policies more efficiently and to respond to particular needs identified by the EU institutions. In recognition of the critical role of the Parliament and Council in shaping the renewed institutional framework, members of the European Parliament and representatives of the Spanish Presidency also participated in the meeting in Brussels.
“This was a very important opportunity for dialogue between the heads of the EU Agencies and the EU institutions. We work alongside the EU institutions, adding value by helping to implement policy and promote the sharing of information and expertise in areas as diverse as food safety, fundamental rights and gender equality, transport safety, training, medicines, the environment and public health – all areas that impact directly on the lives of Europe’s 500 million people,” said Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle, Executive Director of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the agency which currently chairs the troika coordinating the Heads of Agencies network.
In its Communication “European agencies – the way forward” of March 2008, the European Commission called upon the European Parliament and Council to give a new momentum to the development of a clear and coherent vision on the place of agencies in European governance. Today’s discussions will feed into the inter-institutional dialogue on the future governance of the EU Agencies, which involves an evaluation of existing Agencies and reflections on changes which could be made to improve the system in the future.
The Agencies represent a significant presence within the EU with, in 2008, a combined staff of more than 4,460 people and a combined budget of around €1.24 billion, representing just 1.03% of the overall EU budget of that year.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Lucia de Luca, Press Officer
Tel: +39 0521 036 149
Email: Press@efsa.europa.eu
The Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA) coordinates the Joint Deployment Plan (JDP) for the bluefin tuna fishery in the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Atlantic waters for 2010, the vehicle through which it coordinates the pooling of means by Member States, both material and human, in order to carry out control, inspection and surveillance of fishery activities both at sea and ashore. The plan brings together the Commission, Member States and the CFCA, counts on the resources of the seven Member States involved in the fishery - Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain - and covers all stages in the market chain, including controls at sea, ashore, and at fattening farms.
"Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta and Spain join forces by pooling their control means (inspection vessels and aircraft as well as inspectors) under the JDP adopted by the CFCA in order to ensure a uniform and effective control of all fishing vessels (EU and third country vessels) participating in the BFT fishery in the Mediterranean. The EU is a front runner in enhancing control and inspection activities targeting this fishery serving as a good example towards the rest of contracting parties in the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). It is a major contribution to the protection of the bluefin tuna fishery that has been overfished for decades," said Harm Koster, Executive Director of the CFCA.
The JDP for this fishery is the third of its kind after the experience of the two previous years which have proven the improvement in the control of this fishery through the JDPs. The great novelty this year is that during the purse seiners peak season the CFCA will charter an EU inspection vessel for the control campaign that, together with the Member States means, will enhance the inspection activities in the area. The EU offers this vessel for enhancing cooperation with other Mediterranean states involved in the BFT fishery. Building on the know-how acquired in the previous years, the campaign will be based on a risk analysis process. On another point, training of inspectors in order to improve the quality of the inspections is one of the priorities.
The results of the JDP in 2009 have been very positive. The CFCA coordinated joint inspection and control activities involving 11 high seas patrol vessels, 18 coastal patrol vessels and 9 airplanes/helicopters. There were 202 days of control campaign on land, 267 at sea and 218 hours of aerial surveillance and more than 700 hundred inspections were undertaken. Most of these inspections were carried out by joint inspection teams composed of different Member States. It should be noted that the number of apparent infringements detected in 2009 slightly decreased. In addition, an important achievement of the 2009 JDP was the absence of spotting airplanes during the 2009 purse seine season.
The joint control, inspection and surveillance activities carried out under the JDP are coordinated by a special Technical Joint Deployment Group (TJDG) which is seated at the CFCA premises in Vigo from 1 April and will remain operational until the end of July, period of the core fishing season. The TJDG is composed of national coordinators designated by the Member States concerned and supported by the CFCA's own coordinators. The TJDG decide both an overall strategy and recommendations for daily control, inspection and surveillance activities, on the basis of the daily data and information received from the Member States administrations and ICCAT, in particular VMS data and catch information, and interface with the Commission's inspectors and services.
The CFCA and France (through its Direction des affaires maritimes and Direction des pêches maritimes et de l'aquaculture) will sign a memorandum of understanding on 24 September 2010 in Nantes (France) formalising their commitment to enter into mutual cooperation in view of the elaboration of a core curriculum for the training of national fisheries inspectors through the sharing of information and expertise.
The CFCA coordinates training of fishery inspectors in Member States and favours exchange of best practices. To this end it aims at setting up of cooperation with all Member States concerned. The agreement between the CFCA and France is the first of its kind. Uniform and effective application of the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy by Member States is at the heart of the CFCA mission. Indeed, it is of utmost importance that Member State's inspectors are trained in the same way and according to the same high quality standards.
The CFCA provides access to the French administration to its web based training collaboration platform promoting remote cooperation between Member State's control experts and trainers and facilitating the exchange of information and expertise between them. This tool offers the experts and trainers to work together on a daily basis whilst operating in the national administration. In this way the best European experts will be able to draft together the modules forming the common core curriculum for national fishery inspectors.
The CFCA has adopted its multiannual work programme for 2011-2015 and the fifth annual work programme for 2011. It will continue to undertake its activities around its two main strategic axes: Operational Coordination, through the consolidation and extension of the concept of joint deployment plans (JDP), and Capacity Building, focusing on helping Member States develop systems for effectively sharing and collecting data and intelligence. Moreover, the budget adopted in the meeting for 2011 is of €8, 85 million, subject to the definitive adoption of the EU Budget for 2011 by the Budgetary Authority in the coming weeks
“Sustainability is one of the three priorities laid down in the Europe 2020 strategy. Conservation and management of shared marine living resources (such as fish), require quite drastic action: preserving this heritage for future generations is our shared responsibility,” said Serge Beslier, Chairman of the CFCA Administrative Board. ”The Europe 2020 strategy emphasizes that ‘coordination within the EU works’. The CFCA has proved to bring added value in this domain of cooperation between Member States and with the Commission.”
Multiannual Work Programme
In close cooperation with the Commission and Member States, the CFCA will explore the challenges and opportunities presented by the new control legislative package (IUU and new control regulations) in tasks such as the designation of coordinators as Community inspectors in international waters, establishment of an emergency unit, chartering of means for the Joint deployment plans, facilitation of the development of common risk management procedures, data reliability and interoperability between Member States information systems, promotion of training and exchange of best practices, development of operational activities transferred by the Commission, and extension of the operational coordination to cover all common fisheries policy (CFP) activities up to retails sales.
In doing so, the CFCA will continue to undertake its activities around its two main strategic axes: Operational Coordination and Capacity Building. In its multi annual work programme, this means:
• The application of the provisions of the new regulation to prevent the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing: the CFCA will organise progressively operational coordination between Member States of the national control activities and provide support to the Commission and participate in audits to third countries.
• The extension of the current Joint Deployment Plans to regional control areas based on multispecies (to which end, current legal basis may need to be adapted) and the examination of Regional Control Areas covering all relevant fisheries and activities of the CFP in order to trigger a more cost-effective, rational and complementary joint deployment of human and material resources.
• In the area of Capacity Building, the availability of uniform data on fishing and inspection and surveillance activities on European level and enhanced interoperability of national ICT systems are main priorities for Operational Coordination.
The CFCA team will be dedicated to the execution of the tasks listed in the Work Programme. The implementation of these activities will have a significant contribution to the uniformity and effectiveness of control, increased transparency of the control activities and thus to a level playing field for the European fishing industry.
“In times where public expenditure is cut, the CFCA together with the national enforcement services have a common challenge in ensuring cost- effectiveness through enhanced regional cooperation and pooling of means under joint deployment plans (JDP). Indeed, enhanced European cooperation offers scope for cutting down on national public expenditures. This work programme sets out our efforts to meet these challenges,” said Harm Koster, Executive Director of the CFCA.
Lowri Evans, appointed Director General in the month of June 2010, pays her first visit to the Community Fisheries Control Agency, seated in Vigo (Spain), on 10-11 November. During the working meeting, the Director General has familiarised with the work of the CFCA and personally met the management of the Agency and its relevant staff members.
"This visit has allowed Ms Evans to get to know the work of the CFCA in depth. She has been able to have a good insight in the activities of the CFCA and its contribution to an effective control of EU fisheries, which is crucial for bringing fish stocks to sustainable levels,¨ said Harm Koster, Executive Director of the CFCA.
During her visit, Ms Evans has held meetings allowing her to get a good grasp about the functioning of the agency. Making the most of her visit to Vigo, the Director-General has met with main decision-makers and stakeholders in Spain and in the Galician region and briefly discussed the latest developments in fisheries policy.
Ms Evans indicated to be pleased to visit the Agency which plays in important role in strengthening fisheries control and ensuring coordination between Member States. She was happy to have the opportunity to meet the Galician authorities and stakeholders and to meet Ms. Alicia Villauriz, the newly appointed Spanish Secretary General of the Sea.
For the fourth year, the Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA) coordinates the Joint Deployment Plan (JDP) for the Blue Fin Tuna fishery in the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Atlantic waters for 2011. Under this JDP, Member States pool their control and inspection means, both material and human, in order to carry out jointly control, inspection and surveillance of fishery activities both at sea and ashore. All these activities are coordinated by a team of national coordinators based in the premises of the CFCA. The plan bringing together the European Commission, Member States and the CFCA, counts on the resources of the seven Member States involved in the fishery - Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain – as well as an EU inspection vessel chartered by the CFCA and covers all stages in the market chain. Inspection and surveillance at sea is carried both in EU waters and international waters and applies to EU and non-EU vessels.
Before the first bluefin tuna Joint Deployment Plan in 2008, control, inspection and surveillance activities carried out separately by each of the Member States concerned were not well coordinated and not evenly spread over the different fleets targeting bluefin tuna. Since then, there have been three JDPs in the Mediterranean, with very positive results. In them, national inspectors from Member States involved in the fishery are on duty during all the control campaign. This year, the CFCA will participate with its new EU inspection vessel for the control campaign, the Tyr, which, together with the Member States means, will enhance the inspection activities in the area. The EU offers this vessel, for enhancing cooperation with other Mediterranean states involved in the bluefin tuna fishery.
The joint control, inspection and surveillance activities carried out under the JDP are coordinated by a special Technical Joint Deployment Group (TJDG) consisting of national coordinators which is based in the CFCA premises in Vigo as from 1 May 2011 and will remain operational until the end of November. The TJDG is supported by the CFCA's own coordinators. The TJDG decides both the overall inspection and surveillance strategy and issues daily recommendations for control, inspection and surveillance activities by national and EU means, on the basis of the daily data and information received by national enforcement authorities and from ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna), in particular VMS data (Vessel Monitoring System, a satellite based control system) and catch information.
In 2011, Member States and the CFCA mobilize 22 vessels and 9 aerial patrol means to ensure that the Blue Fin Tuna recovery plan is respected. In total, 232 days of sea activity, 150 days of ashore activity and 198 flight hours are scheduled to take place throughout the campaign.
At its annual meeting (Paris, November 2010) ICCAT adopted a recommendation amending the recovery plan, with a special focus in reinforcing the provisions regarding transfer and caging operations. The European Union is committed to implement the new provisions already throughout the 2011 fishing season. These provisions include testing of an improved methodology to determine the quantities transferred to cages in which bluefin tuna is retained.
"The Joint Deployment Plan ensures a uniform and effective control of all fishing vessels (EU and third country vessels) participating in the bluefin fishery in the Mediterranean. It has also very successful in brokering cooperation between all national services involved in control, inspection and surveillance. As a result, control of the bluefin tuna fishery has been effective, and this year, with the anticipated application of the new ICCAT rules, we will test improved control methods for the future” said Harm Koster, Executive Director of the CFCA.
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