Last week at the European Parliament the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) has presented the new tools to develop a culture of compliance in a reformed Common Fisheries Policy. There are particular tools that will allow for new impetus towards this objective, ensuring that there is a level playing field across Europe and that fisheries control is done in the most cost-efficient way:

Regional Joint Deployment Plans (JDPs): EFCA applies its budgetary resources towards JDPs as the vehicle through which the deployment of the national human and material means of control and inspection pooled by the Member States is organised. JDPs promote the cost-effective use of human and material resources of Member States in a coordinated way and the Agency has started to extend JDPs to cover regional, multispecies joint deployment plans (NEAFC, NAFO and Pelagic species in Western Waters). EFCA wishes to move to regional, multispecies and permanent fisheries in a very near future.

Discard ban control strategies: The measure would be preferably implemented through the regional JDPs, enabling strategic decisions to be taken at steering group level, and then EFCA can help monitor it effectively. Depending on the characteristics of the fishery, different methods could be applied and available tools would be used and tested.

Cost-effectiveness and Compliance evaluation Focus Groups: Two focus groups have been set up to evaluate compliance and cost effectiveness in control operations.

Core curriculum: The near completion of a core curriculum for the training of the fisheries inspectorate of the Member States for the first time ever will contribute to and apply the Common Fisheries Policy effectively and in a uniform manner.

EFCA ICT Systems: They are designed to complement individual national systems. These are unique systems developed by the EFCA and made available to Member States to support control of the CFP at the EU level. These electronic tools allow for a continuous real time exchange of data and intelligence, thereby restricting the possibilities for the manipulation of information and helping in limiting noncompliant behaviour.
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