EP AND COUNCIL REACH AGREEMENT ON EMSA MANDATE
On 20 May, negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council reached a provisional agreement to update the mandate of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). This agreement aims to better equip EMSA to handle current and future maritime challenges, including cybersecurity, hybrid threats, and the greening and digitalisation of the maritime sector.
The new regulation provides a stronger legal framework for EMSA to carry out its tasks in maritime safety, pollution prevention and response, decarbonisation, surveillance, and maritime awareness. The agency will also offer technical, operational, and scientific assistance to Member States and the Commission, notably on FuelEU Maritime and the extension ETS to maritime transport. To achieve this, EMSA will employ enhanced surveillance tools to detect and deter illegal discharges at sea, while also developing its emissions monitoring systems and facilitate their reporting. The deal also ensures that EMSA has the necessary human and financial resources to accomplish these tasks and can take on additional tasks as requested by Member States and the Commission.
The provisional agreement, which needs to be formally approved by the Council and the Parliament, is the last remaining fil of the 'maritime safety' package, proposed by the Commission in 2023. This package includes updates to flag-State and port State control provisions, revised rules on the investigation of maritime accidents, and tightened rules on pollution from ships, which were formally adopted in autumn 2024.
Source: European Commission, European Parliament, Council of the EU