The European Commission calls for closer cooperation between maritime, fishing, and border agencies for the security of European waters.

The European Commission calls for closer operational cooperation between the European Maritime Safety Agency, the European Fisheries Control Agency, and Frontex, at a time when the protection of European waters simultaneously involves maritime safety, fisheries control, pollution response, and border protection. Commissioner Costas Kadis stated that information exchange, surveillance, risk analysis, and cooperation between civil and military operators are essential for the maritime security of the European Union.

The European Commission calls for closer cooperation between the European agencies involved in maritime safety, fisheries control, and border protection, to respond more effectively to risks in European waters. The Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, said at the Annual European Coast Guard Event 2026 that EMSA, EFCA, and Frontex are indispensable for supporting national authorities within the maritime security framework of the European Union.

In short

The European Commission calls for closer operational cooperation between EMSA, EFCA, and Frontex in European coast guard functions.

The targeted areas include combating illegal fishing, pollution response, maritime safety, and border protection.

Kadis emphasized the importance of information exchange, surveillance, capacity development, and risk analysis.

The Common Information Sharing Environment is presented as a tool for connecting civil and military operators.

The Commission's message comes in the context of the European Ocean Pact, which addresses maritime security as part of ocean protection.

Kadis stated that the European Maritime Safety Agency, the European Fisheries Control Agency, and Frontex play a central role in protecting European waters. He described the three agencies as "indispensable" for national authorities, in a field where maritime, environmental, economic, and security risks increasingly overlap.

The Commissioner asserted that stronger cooperation between agencies in coast guard functions is necessary for common challenges. He explicitly mentioned combating illegal fishing, pollution response, maritime safety, and border protection, four areas where national responsibilities need European support and rapid information exchange.

The annual European coast guard event was presented as a review of operational cooperation between agencies. Kadis indicated the progress made in information exchange and capabilities, surveillance, capacity development, and risk analysis, areas that can directly influence the speed of response in cases of maritime incidents, pollution, or illegal activities at sea.

An important point of the speech was the Common Information Sharing Environment, a system designed to facilitate information exchange between civil and military operators. Kadis stated that reducing compartmentalization between these actors can strengthen Maritime Domain Awareness, that is, the operational picture of activities taking place in the European maritime space.

This dimension is relevant for member states as maritime surveillance is not limited to vessel control or spot inspections. Data on traffic, fishing, pollution, incidents, security risks, and border movements must be connected for authorities to intervene more quickly and in a coordinated manner.

Kadis linked cooperation between agencies to the European Ocean Pact, which includes maritime security among the components of ocean protection. The Commission's message is that protecting European waters depends on coordination between institutions, agencies, and national authorities, not just on new political objectives or new technological tools.

The speech also included a reference to coastal communities, islands, and outermost regions, but the focus of the intervention remained on the operational role of European agencies. Kadis mentioned the Azores as an example of a region where strategic dimension, climate vulnerability, economic pressures, and dependence on the sea intersect directly.

The Commission is set to adopt the Strategy for Islands and the Strategy for Coastal Communities, and in July a package of measures for the outermost regions. These initiatives complement coast guard cooperation, as the security of waters, the protection of maritime communities, and the resilience of islands are part of the same European policy architecture.

Kadis conveyed to the agencies that their work represents "the foundation of safety and maritime security in Europe." This formulation shows that, for the Commission, European coast guard is not an isolated technical field, but a component of the European Union's capacity to protect its waters, borders, marine resources, and communities dependent on the sea.

https://2eu.brussels/ro/stiri/comisia-europeana-cere-cooperare-mai-stransa-intre-agentiile-maritime-de-pescuit-si-frontiera-pentru-securitatea-apelor-europene