The European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) has agreed a five-year work programme to 2029 with an annual budget of 31 million euro.
At a meeting in Vigo, Spain, the EFCA said it will keep assisting the EU member states through “operational coordination of their control and inspection activities”.
“Specific work will be devoted to the improvement of common procedures, methodologies and best practices in support of the EFCA´s joint deployment plans,”it says.
“The next five years will therefore be shaped by the continued need for cooperation and innovation in the agency’s approach to fisheries control,”the EFCA says.
“Next year, the agency´s focus will be defined by the robust support to be provided for the [European] Commission and member states in preparing to apply the revised Fisheries Control Regulation, particularly the new requirements introduced by the rules,”it says.
“ Moreover, 2025 will see the launch of the procurement process for EFCA’s chartered fisheries offshore patrol vessels,”it says.
It says it will implement a new project in Western Africa, and possibly in Central Africa, and the southwestern Indian Ocean, stating that its role “remains crucial in underpinning the EU commitment in the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing”.
Next year is the EFCA’s 20th anniversary.
“By working closely with the European Commission, member states, and international partners, our aim is to deliver the highest standards of fisheries control and surveillance,” EFCA executive director Dr Susan Steele has said.