European Maritime Safety Agency: cooperation

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

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EU) 2016/1625 of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002 establishing a European Maritime Safety Agency.

CONTENT: the Regulation amends Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002 in order to specify that the European Maritime Safety Agency, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, and the European Fisheries Control Agency, should strengthen their cooperation, within their mandate, both with each other and with the national authorities carrying out coast guard functions, in order to increase maritime situational awareness and to support coherent and cost-efficient action.

In cooperation with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and the European Fisheries Control Agency, the European Maritime Safety 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, including space-based and ground infrastructure and sensors mounted on any kind of platform;
• 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 the Agency, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and the European Fisheries Control 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 the form of a recommendation, in close cooperation with the Member States, the Agency, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and the European Fisheries Control Agency.

ENTRY INTO FORCE : 06.10.2016.