The Committee on Fisheries adopted a report by Alain CADEC (EPP, FR) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No 768/2005 establishing a Community Fisheries Control Agency.
The committee recommended the European Parliament to adopt its position at first reading taking over the Commission proposal.
To recall, the aim of the proposal is to enable the three European agencies whose duties include dealing with disasters at sea to coordinate their operations at sea and share information pertaining to their activities. The European Fisheries Control Agency, the European Maritime Safety Agency and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency must be able to cooperate by pooling their operational capacities and sharing surveillance information in order to enhance maritime safety and security.
To recall, under this proposal, maritime surveillance, prevention and control operations will be coordinated at EU level in order to improve maritime awareness and support operations that are consistent and cost-effective.
The aim of the proposal is to enable the three European agencies whose duties include dealing with disasters at sea to coordinate their operations at sea and share information pertaining to their activities. The European Fisheries Control Agency, the European Maritime Safety Agency and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency must be able to cooperate by pooling their operational capacities and sharing surveillance information in order to enhance maritime safety and security.
The explanatory memorandum accompanying the draft resolution stated that the three agencies will support national authorities and be able to take effective joint action, in particular as regards conducting control, security and surveillance operations by providing the authorities with information, equipment and training, and by providing the required level of coordination for multi-dimensional operations. Such cooperation arrangements are essential given the current situation with regard to migration. Large flows of migrants require more solidarity from the EU, both materially and in human terms.
It is for this reason that Members welcome the proposal, which seeks to bring the powers and responsibilities of the European Fisheries Control Agency into line with those of the European Maritime Safety Agency and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency as regards cooperation on coastguard function.
It is important to note that the proposal is a response to the pilot project on the coordination of the functions of European coastguards adopted by Parliament as part of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2016. That pilot project makes it possible to test specific action conducted as part of joint operations by the three agencies mentioned above.