International relations
1. Upon the request of the Commission or a Member State, the Agency shall provide the technical assistance necessary for the Member States and the Commission to contribute to the relevant work of the technical bodies of the IMO, the ILO, as far as shipping is concerned, the Paris MoU and relevant regional organisations with regard to matters of Union competence.
For the purpose of carrying out those tasks in an efficient and effective manner, the Executive Director may decide to locate staff in the Union delegation to the United Kingdom, subject to the appropriate agreements with the European External Action Service (EEAS), in order to support Member States and the Commission in activities related to their participation to the work of the IMO. Such a decision requires the prior consent of the Commission and of the Management Board. Such a decision shall specify the scope of the activities to be carried out by the located staff in a manner that avoids unnecessary costs and duplication of administrative functions of the Agency.
2. The Agency may, upon the request of the Commission, provide technical assistance, including the organisation of relevant training activities, as regards relevant Union legal acts, to States applying for accession to the Union, and, where applicable, to European Neighbourhood partner countries and to countries taking part in the Paris MoU.
3. The Agency may, upon the request of the Commission or the EEAS, or both, or the Member States, provide assistance for pollution caused by ships and for marine pollution caused by oil and gas installations affecting third countries sharing a regional sea basin with the Union. The Agency shall provide the assistance in accordance with the Union Civil Protection Mechanism, and with the conditions applicable to Member States as referred to in Article 5(1) applied by analogy to those third countries. Those tasks shall be coordinated with the existing regional cooperation arrangements related to marine pollution.
4. Without prejudice to Article 24, the Agency may provide, upon the request of the Commission, technical assistance to third countries for matters falling under the Commission’s competence.
5. The Agency may enter into administrative arrangements and cooperation with other Union bodies working in the matters that fall within the scope of the Agency’s competence, subject to the approval of the Commission. Such arrangements and cooperation shall be subject to the favourable opinion of the Management Board and subsequent periodical reporting to it.
6. The Management Board shall adopt, as part of the single programming document, a strategy for international relations of the Agency concerning matters that fall within the scope of the Agency’s competence.
European cooperation on coast guard functions
1. The Agency shall, in cooperation with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), and the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA), each within their respective mandates, support national authorities carrying out coast guard functions at national and Union level and, where appropriate, at international level by:
(a)
sharing, fusing and analysing information available in ship reporting systems and other information systems hosted by or accessible to those agencies, in accordance with their respective legal bases and without prejudice to the ownership of data by Member States;
(b)
providing with state-of-the art surveillance and communication services, including space-based and ground infrastructure and sensors mounted on any kind of platform;
(c)
building capacity by drawing up guidelines and recommendations and by establishing best practices as well as by providing training and exchange of staff;
(d)
enhancing the exchange of information and cooperation on coast guard functions, including by analysing operational challenges and emerging risks in the maritime domain;
(e)
sharing capacity by planning and implementing multipurpose operations and by sharing assets and other capabilities, to the extent that those activities are coordinated by those agencies and are agreed to by the competent authorities of the Member States concerned.
2. Without prejudice to the powers of the Management Board set out in Article 15, the precise forms of cooperation on coast guard functions between the Agency, Frontex and the EFCA shall be determined in a working arrangement, in accordance with their respective mandates and the financial rules applicable to those agencies. Such an arrangement shall be approved by the Management Board, the management board of Frontex and the Administrative Board of the EFCA.
3. The Commission shall, in close cooperation with the Member States, the Agency, Frontex and the EFCA, make available a practical handbook on European cooperation on coast guard functions. That handbook shall contain guidelines, recommendations and best practices for the exchange of information. The Commission shall adopt the handbook in the form of a recommendation.
4. The tasks set out in this Article shall be without prejudice to the Agency’s tasks referred to in Articles 4 to 11 or to the Member States’ rights and obligations, in particular as flag States, port States or coastal States.
Communication and dissemination
The Agency may engage in communication activities on its own initiative in the fields within its mandate in order to promote its work and disseminate relevant guidance. Communication activities shall support the rest of the tasks referred to in the Articles 3 to 12 and shall be carried out in accordance with relevant communication and dissemination plans adopted by the Management Board. The Management Board shall regularly update those plans, based on an analysis of needs.
