A new agreement between the EU Council and Parliament aims to modernize and expand the mandate of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), making it better equipped to handle current and future maritime challenges.
As explained, this revision aligns EMSA’s responsibilities more closely with its key roles in maritime safety, pollution prevention, decarbonisation, digitalisation, and maritime surveillance. Importantly, it allows EMSA to take on additional tasks as needed, especially in areas like cyber security and hybrid threats, helping the agency remain relevant in a rapidly evolving maritime landscape.
The updated regulation ensures EMSA has a more robust legal foundation and adequate human and financial resources to support its work. It also confirms the agency’s continued technical, operational, and scientific support to EU Member States and the European Commission.
This reform is part of the broader “maritime safety” package, which also included reforms to flag and port State controls, accident investigation rules, and pollution regulations, finalized by the Council in November 2024.
Established in 2002 following major maritime accidents, EMSA is headquartered in Lisbon and employs over 290 people. It plays a vital role in safeguarding the EU’s maritime environment and ensuring safe, sustainable transport, which is crucial given that 75% of the EU’s external trade is conducted by sea. Despite high safety levels, more than 2,000 maritime incidents still occur annually, highlighting the ongoing need for EMSA’s work.
For over 23 years now, EMSA has proven to be an essential support to member states in ensuring safety on European waters. Revising the agency’s mandate will better reflect EMSA’s current and future role and make the agency future-proof. With this agreement, we conclude the legislative work on the maritime safety package.
… said Dariusz Klimczak, Polish minister of Infrastructure
The provisional agreement now awaits formal adoption by the Council and Parliament.
