The EFCA has adopted its annual report for 2012 at the meeting of the Administrative Board held on 5 of March. The annual report comprised all the activities undertaken by the EFCA during that year and marks a consolidation and strengthening of the core activities on which the success of the Agency has been constructed to date.
Within its mandate, the EFCA will be deeply involved in the effective implementation of the new rules of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy to be adopted, and in particular the key feature of the regional approach. This will be a year of great challenges in this respect.
2012 results
During 2012, five JDPs were successfully implemented: Cod fisheries in the North Sea and Western Waters, Cod and salmon fisheries in the Baltic Sea, Pelagic Fisheries in Western Waters, NAFO & NEAFC and Bluefin Tuna in the Mediterranean Sea and Eastern Atlantic Ocean. The EFCA has focused on improving the quality of the cooperation by fully taking on board the move towards the regional control areas.
During the last three years, the days of activity of JDPs have been reasonably constant. In 2012 the slight increase of days of activity was followed by a more significant increase of number of inspections at sea. The total number of inspections coordinated in the framework of the JDPs during 2012 is approaching 9,000 in the JDPs coordinated by EFCA. Overall, there has been a decrease in the ratio of suspected infringements detected per inspection made, with the exception for the cod and salmon in the Baltic Sea JDP and pelagic in Western Waters JDP. The Administrative Board decision of creating two focus groups for assessing compliance levels will help EFCA better assess these figures as well as the general trends in compliance with the Common Fisheries Policy in the EU.
There have also been advances in the pursuit of a level playing field. Training is a key aspect in this regard and it also contributes to improvements in the quality of the coordination and of the inspections. During 2012, a total number of 295 inspectors from Member States participated in EFCA training actions.  Beyond the regional workshop training actions, the Agency coordinated and facilitated the elaboration of Core Curricula courses for the training of trainers of national fisheries inspectors and Union inspectors. With respect to training workshops in support of regional cooperation, 13 training workshops were organized by the EFCA with Member State officials.
The assistance to the Member States and the Commission has been of special importance this year especially in the area of data monitoring and networks. Much progress has been made in the development of the EFCA information management systems with the enhancements of the EFCA Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), the development of the EFCA Electronic recording and Reporting System (ERS) and the definition of the EU Electronic Inspection Report (EIR).
Moreover, during the Bluefin Tuna Joint Deployment Campaign, and in close cooperation with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), a pilot project was set up with regards to Maritime Surveillance. It assessed the added value of enriching the existing global picture of the EFCA-VMS system with additional layers of information with a view to create an integrated maritime picture.
Proposed Draft Budget for 2014
The proposed draft budget for 2014 is the same as the final budget for 2013: €9,216,900.
“The close cooperation between the Member States and the European Commission thanks to the coordinating role of the EFCA has been very fruitful with regard to the promotion of a culture of compliance that can ensure a level playing field and a more effective and uniform application of the Common Fisheries Policy. I am confident that together we will keep up the good work and be better prepared for the upcoming challenges,” said Pascal Savouret, Executive Director of the EFCA.