Regional Coordination Groups (RCGs) are now online! The website, funded with support from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), brings more information and details about the work of the RCGs, including details of their meetings, reports and decisions.
RCGs are the main hub for regional coordination and cooperation of the different regions contributing to the fisheries Data Collection Framework. They also coordinate their actions with non-EU countries that have sovereignty or jurisdiction over waters in the same marine region.
These regional groups were set up to help develop and implement the methodology, quality assurance and quality control procedures for collecting and processing data for used to produce scientific advice. RCGs are made up of experts appointed by Member States, including national correspondents, and the European Commission. Scientific bodies, such as the Joint Research Centre (JRC), Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF), International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and others sometimes participate in the work of the RCGs as observers.
Six different Regional Coordination Groups are currently operating:
- RCG Baltic: Regional Coordination Group for the Baltic area.
- RCG NANS&EA: Regional Coordination Group for the North Atlantic, North Sea & Eastern Arctic RCG Med&BS: Regional Coordination Group for Mediterranean and Black Sea.
- RCG LP: Regional Coordination Group for Large Pelagics.
- RCG LDF: Regional Coordination Group for Long Distance Fisheries.
- RCG ECON: RCG on Economics Issues, pan-regional group that deals with the collection of economic data.
To find out more about the work of the RCGs, you can visit the website