European Fisheries Control Agency: cooperation

PURPOSE: to strengthen cooperation between the European Fisheries Control Agency, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, and the European Maritime Safety Agency, and with the national authorities carrying out coast guard functions.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EU) 2016/1626 of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No 768/2005 establishing a Community Fisheries Control Agency.

CONTENT: the Regulation amends Council Regulation (EC) No 768/2005 in order to specify that one of the tasks of the European Fisheries Control Agency is to cooperate with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and with the European Maritime Safety Agency each within its mandate, to support the national authorities carrying out coast guard functions, by providing services, information, equipment and training as well as by coordinating multipurpose operations.

In cooperation with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and the European Maritime Safety Agency, the Agency will support national authorities carrying out coast guard functions at national and Union level and, where appropriate, at international level by:

• sharing information available in ship reporting systems and other information systems hosted by or accessible to those agencies;
• providing surveillance and communication services based on state-of-the-art technology;
• building capacity by drawing up guidelines and recommendations and by establishing best practices as well as by providing training and exchange of staff;
• enhancing the exchange of information and cooperation on coast guard functions including by analysing operational challenges and emerging risks in the maritime domain;
• sharing capacity by planning and implementing multipurpose operations and by sharing assets and other capabilities, to the extent that these activities are coordinated by those agencies and are agreed to by the competent authorities of the Member States concerned.

The precise forms of cooperation on coast guard functions between this Agency, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and the European Maritime Safety Agency shall be determined in a working arrangement, in accordance with their respective mandates.

The Commission shall make available a practical handbook on European cooperation on coast guard functions, in close cooperation with the Member States, the Agency, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and the European Maritime Safety Agency.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 06.10.2016.