European Fisheries Control Agency

Last updated
European Fisheries Control Agency
EFCA logo.svg
Axencia Comunitaria de Control da Pesca, Vigo.JPG
The Odriozola building, housing the EFCA's headquarters
Agency overview
Formed1 February 2006 (2006-02-01)
Preceding agency
  • European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA)
Jurisdiction European Union
Headquarters Vigo, Spain
Employees104
Agency executive
  • Susan Steele, Executive Director
Key document
Website www.efca.europa.eu/en
Map
Europe EU laea location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Vigo
European Fisheries Control Agency (European Union)
A vessel from the European Fisheries Control Agency in Ystad harbor on November 15, 2023 European Fisheries Control Agency - Ystad-2023.jpg
A vessel from the European Fisheries Control Agency in Ystad harbor on November 15, 2023

The European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) is the agency of the European Union (EU) that co-ordinates the national operational activities in the area of fisheries, and assists the member states in their application of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). [1] The agency is based in Vigo, (province of Pontevedra), Spain.

Contents

History

The Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA) was established pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) No 768/2005 of 26 April 2005 which entered into force on 10 June 2005. The Administrative Board was constituted at its first meeting held on 1 February 2006. Effective 1 January 2012, the agency was renamed as the European Fisheries Control Agency. [2] Relevant legislation was codified with Regulation (EU) 2019/473. [3]

Mission and objectives

The agency’s mission is to promote the highest common standards for control, inspection and surveillance under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). EFCA brokers operational cooperation between EU countries, and assists them and the Commission. It organises and coordinates cooperation between national control and inspection activities and trains national inspectors and trainers, to ensure that CFP rules are respected and applied effectively and consistently. [4]

According to its founding regulation, the EFCA objective is ‘to organize operational coordination of fisheries control and inspection activities by the Member States and to assist them to cooperate so as to comply with the rules of the CFP in order to ensure its effective and uniform application’.

The added value of the work of the agency lies in its contribution to a European-wide level playing field for the fishing industry, and towards sustainable fisheries by enhancing compliance with existing conservation and management measures to the benefit of present and future generations.

The Agency, in cooperation with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and the European Maritime Safety Agency, each within its mandate, supports the national authorities carrying out coast guard functions. [5]

Organisational structure

Administrative board

EFCA is governed by an administrative board, which consists of six representatives of the European Commission and one representative per member state. The agency is managed by an executive director.

The board sets the agency's priorities and work program, adopts its budget once it has been approved by the European Parliament and the Council, reports to the member states and the European institutions and appoints the executive director. In addition, the board adopts a multi-annual approach and a staff policy plan, and sets indicators to monitor the implementation of the work plan.

Board members are appointed on an individual basis for a renewable five-year term. They all have relevant experience and expertise in the field of fisheries control and inspection.

The board elects a chairperson and a deputy chairperson from among its members for a renewable three-year term. Meetings are usually held twice a year. [6]

The executive director is responsible for the execution of the agency's operational activities and general management. He drafts the annual budget proposal and work program following consultation with the commission and national authorities. He answers to the administrative board. The executive director is appointed for a renewable five-year term. [7]

Advisory board

The advisory board advises the executive director of the Agency and ensures close cooperation with stakeholders. The advisory board is composed of representatives of the advisory councils, on the basis of one representative designated by each advisory council. The meetings of the advisory board are chaired by the executive director.

A representative of the advisory board takes part in the deliberations of the administrative board meetings without the right to vote. The advisory board representative in the EFCA administrative board is appointed in accordance with the yearly rotation system agreed by its members.

The advisory councils are stakeholdered organisations composed of representatives from the industry and other groups of interest. In addition to the seven existing advisory councils below, the new CFP foresees the creation of four new advisory councils for the Black Sea, Aquaculture, Markets and Outermost regions.

The advisory councils provide the European Commission and EU countries with recommendations on fisheries management matters. [8]

Activities

EU operations

The Agency coordinates activities on land and in Union and international waters, as appropriate. This is done through the joint deployment plans (JDPs), the vehicle through which the EFCA organizes the deployment of national human and material means of control and inspection pooled by Member States. The deployment of pooled national means is coordinated by the EFCA through coordination centers in charge in a Member State or the presence of national coordinators is at EFCA premises.

While Member States are responsible for applying the rules on their own territory, in waters under their sovereignty and jurisdiction and on fishing vessels flying their flag, wheresoever their activity is carried out, the Agency has been designed to act as a facilitator enhancing cooperation and ensuring that legislation is implemented in a systematic, uniform and effective way. [9]

International operations

EFCA supports the European Union in the international dimension of the Common Fisheries Policy and the fight against Illegal Unregulated and Undeclared (IUU) activities. According to the CFP regulation, the Agency assists the Union in cooperating with third countries and international organisations dealing with fisheries, including RFMOs, to strengthen operational coordination and compliance. [10]

Sustainable fisheries agreements with non-European Union countries are negotiated and concluded by the Commission on behalf of the European Union. At the request of the Commission, the European Fisheries Control Agency provides capacity building support on fisheries control and inspection to these countries with which the European Union has a sustainable fisheries partnership agreement.

In accordance with its mandate, the European Fisheries Control Agency assists Member States to fulfill their obligations by organizing workshops and seminars for national administrations on the implementation of the IUU Regulation. EFCA also supports the European Commission as requested in evaluation missions to third countries in the framework of the IUU Regulation.

During 2016, the coordination of the ongoing Joint Deployment Plans (JDPs) and other operational plans in support of the Member States, including the international dimension, reached close to 19,500 inspections (from 17,000 in 2015) which identified 665 suspected infringements. [11]

Pennant

Pennant of fishery inspection vessels Pennant of the European Union Fishery Inspection.svg
Pennant of fishery inspection vessels

Despite not having a civil ensign, the EU's Fishery Inspection teams display a blue and yellow pennant. The pennant is flown by inspection vessels in EU waters. The flag is triangular and quartered blue and yellow and The flag is triangular and quartered blue and yellow [12] according to Annex XXVIII to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 404/2011. [13] There are no other variants or alternative flags used by the EU (in contrast to countries which have presidential, naval and military variants).

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Environment Agency</span> Agency of the European Union

The European Environment Agency (EEA) is the agency of the European Union (EU) which provides independent information on the environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Union Intellectual Property Office</span>

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) is a decentralised agency of the EU responsible for the registration of EU-wide unitary trade marks and industrial design rights. These exist alongside the intellectual property rights of individual EU member states, so the agency also works to harmonise EU-wide and national registration processes. Other responsibilities include the administration of the rights of certain products in the EU to carry geographical indications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Europol</span> European Union law enforcement agency

Europol, officially the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, is the law enforcement agency of the European Union (EU). Established in 1998, it is based in The Hague, Netherlands, and serves as the central hub for coordinating criminal intelligence and supporting the EU's member states in their efforts to combat various forms of serious and organized crime, as well as terrorism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common Fisheries Policy</span> EU fisheries policy

The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is the fisheries policy of the European Union (EU). It sets quotas for which member states are allowed to catch each type of fish, as well as encouraging the fishing industry by various market interventions. In 2004 it had a budget of €931 million, approximately 0.75% of the EU budget.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Union Aviation Safety Agency</span> European Union civil aviation authority

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is an agency of the European Commission with responsibility for civil aviation safety in the European Union. It carries out certification, regulation and standardisation and also performs investigation and monitoring. It collects and analyses safety data, drafts and advises on safety legislation and co-ordinates with similar organisations in other parts of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Defence Agency</span> Agency of the European Union

The European Defence Agency (EDA) is an agency of the European Union (EU) that promotes and facilitates integration between member states within the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The EDA is headed by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, European Commission’s Vice President (HR/VP), and reports to the Council. The EDA was established on 12 July 2004 and is based in Brussels, Belgium, along with a number of other CSDP bodies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Markus Pieper</span> German politician and member of the European Parliament(born 1963)

Markus Pieper is a German politician and member of the European Parliament for Germany. He is a member of the Christian Democratic Union, part of the European People's Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Union Military Staff</span> Directorate-general of the EUs External Action Service

The Military Staff of the European Union (EUMS) is the directorate-general of the European Union's (EU) External Action Service (EEAS) that contributes to the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) by providing strategic advice to the High Representative (HR/VP) and commanding operations through its Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) operational headquarters. From the end of 2020, the MPCC will be capable of running executive operations of up to 2,500 troops, i.e. the size of one EU battle group, as well as 3 non-executive missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frontex</span> Agency of the European Union tasked with external border control

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, commonly known as Frontex, is an agency of the European Union headquartered in Warsaw, Poland. In coordination with the border and coast guards of member states, it exercises border control of the European Schengen Area, a task within the area of freedom, security and justice domain. Formally, the Agency's remit is to "support Member States on the ground in their efforts to protect the external borders"; it does not have authority to act otherwise unless "external border control" [by a member state] "is rendered ineffective to such an extent that it risks jeopardising the functioning of the Schengen area".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control</span> Agency of the European Union

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is an agency of the European Union (EU) whose mission is to strengthen Europe's defences against infectious diseases. It covers a wide spectrum of activities, such as: surveillance, epidemic intelligence, response, scientific advice, microbiology, preparedness, public health training, international relations, health communication, and the scientific journal Eurosurveillance. The centre was established in 2004 and is headquartered in Solna, Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Food Safety Authority</span> Agency of the European Union

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is the agency of the European Union (EU) that provides independent scientific advice and communicates on existing and emerging risks associated with the food chain. EFSA was established in February 2002, is based in Parma, Italy, and for 2021 it has a budget of €118.6 million, and a total staff of 542.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Union Agency for Cybersecurity</span> Agency of the European Union

The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity – self-designation ENISA from the abbreviation of its original name – is an agency of the European Union. It is fully operational since September 1, 2005. The Agency is located in Athens, Greece and has offices in Brussels, Belgium and Heraklion, Greece.      

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing</span>

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is an issue around the world. Fishing industry observers believe IUU occurs in most fisheries, and accounts for up to 30% of total catches in some important fisheries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications</span>

The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) is the body in which the regulators of the telecommunications markets in the European Union work together. Other participants include representatives of the European Commission, as well as telecommunication regulators from the member states of the EEA and of states that are in the process of joining the EU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bodies of the European Union and Euratom</span>

The main bodies of the European Union and Euratom are:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military Planning and Conduct Capability</span> EU permanent strategic-level operational headquarters for military operations

The Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) is a permanent operational headquarters (OHQ) at the military strategic level for military operations of up to 2,500 troops deployed as part of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) of the European Union (EU) by the end of 2020. Since its inception in 2017, the MPCC has commanded three non-executive training missions in Somalia, Mali and the Central African Republic, and will organise the training of Ukrainian forces on EU soil.

The European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking is a public-private partnership in high-performance computing (HPC), enabling the pooling of European Union–level resources with the resources of participating EU Member States and participating associated states of the Horizon Europe and Digital Europe programmes, as well as private stakeholders. The Joint Undertaking has the twin stated aims of developing a pan-European supercomputing infrastructure, and supporting research and innovation activities. Located in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, the Joint Undertaking started operating in November 2018 under the control of the European Commission and became autonomous in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Structure of the Common Security and Defence Policy</span> European Union military structure

This article outlines the present structure of the European Union's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), a part of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) based on articles 42–46 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). Article 42.2 of TEU states that the CSDP includes the 'progressive framing' of a common Union defence policy, and will lead to a common defence, when the European Council of national heads of state or government, acting unanimously, so decides.

The migration and asylum policy of the European Union is within the area of freedom, security and justice, established to develop and harmonise principles and measures used by member countries of the European Union to regulate migration processes and to manage issues concerning asylum and refugee status in the European Union.

The European Union is one of the main anti-piracy actors in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG). At any one time, the EU has on average 30 owned or flagged vessels in the region. The piracy in the Gulf of Guinea is therefore a threat towards the EU, and as a response the organization adopted its strategy on the Gulf of Guinea in March 2014. The Strategy on the Gulf of Guinea is a 12-page document with the scope of the problem, what have previously been done, responses and the way forward with four strategic objectives. The EU's overriding objective are:

  1. to build a common understanding in regional countries of the threat and its long-term effect and the need to address the piracy issues among the regional and international community.
  2. to help the governments in the region to ensure maritime awareness, security and the rule of law by building robust institutions and maritime administrations.
  3. to assist vulnerable economies to withstand criminal or violent activity and to build resilience to communities.
  4. to strengthen cooperation between the countries and organizations on the region to fight threats both on land and sea.

References

  1. ↑ "EFCA Mission Statement". Archived from the original on 2023-07-08. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  2. ↑ "From the 1st of January 2012, the name of "Community Fisheries Control Agency" will change to "EUROPEAN Fisheries Control Agency"". Community Fisheries Control Agency. 21 December 2011. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014. Taking into account the Lisbon Treaty laying down that the European Union shall replace and succeed the European Community, the CFCA Administrative Board, at its meeting on 19 October 2010, decided to change the name of the CFCA to "European Fisheries Control Agency" and thereafter on 15 March 2011, they also decided the procedure and the target date.
  3. ↑ "EUR-Lex - 32019R0473 - EN - EUR-Lex". eur-lex.europa.eu. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  4. ↑ Anonymous (2016-06-16). "European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) - European Union website, the official EU website - European Commission". European Union website, the official EU website - European Commission. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  5. ↑ "Objectives and Strategy | EFCA". www.efca.europa.eu. Archived from the original on 2019-10-15. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  6. ↑ "Administrative Board | EFCA". www.efca.europa.eu. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  7. ↑ "Executive Director | EFCA". www.efca.europa.eu. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  8. ↑ "Advisory Board | EFCA". www.efca.europa.eu. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  9. ↑ "Operational Coordination | EFCA". www.efca.europa.eu. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  10. ↑ "International Operations | EFCA". www.efca.europa.eu. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  11. ↑ "Annual Report 2016 | EFCA". www.efca.europa.eu. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  12. ↑ European Union Fishery Inspection, Flags of the World, 3 February 2008, retrieved 15 July 2008
  13. ↑ Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 404/2011 of 8 April 2011 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 establishing a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.