The European Fisheries Control Agency and the European Environment Agency has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve the exchange of expertise and relevant information between the two EU Agencies.
The cooperation is expected to enhance the co-ordination and implementation of their activities and to ensure the promotion of joint activities.
The areas of particular interest for co-operation between include information and expertise sharing, with a view to exchange information and build knowledge, such as on multiple pressures and cumulative impacts of maritime activities, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), Fisheries Restricted Areas (FRAs), risk assessment, zero pollution and marine litter.
The co-operation also caters for the implementation of operational pilot projects at sea in areas of common interest, as the project dedicated to marine litter, and particularly, the monitoring, retrieval, collection, and recycling of abandoned or lost fishing gear in designated maritime areas.
While no delegation or transfer of any task or responsibilities will be made from one agency to the other, this MoU comes as the European Commission has issued the Fisheries and Oceans Pact towards sustainable, science-based, innovative and inclusive fisheries management.
