Best Practice Guidelines and Manuals Catalogue
The following is a list of Best Practice Guidelines and Manuals across the Maritime Domain, as provided by the three Agencies.
Please note that further details on each item can be obtained via the link provided for that particular item.
Since Directive 2005/35/EC on ship-source pollution and on the introduction of penalties, including criminal
penalties, for pollution offences was adopted; progress has been made by Member States in addressing illegal
discharges in the marine environment.
The main objective of this manual is to set common advanced training standards for Frontex electro-optical and
infrared (EOIR) systems operator training. The operator training programme aims at improving and sharing
knowledge on various operations scenarios and with different equipment, improving crew coordination and
describing measures to minimalise the risk associated with tactical missions.
Contact: HoU.TRU@frontex.europa.eu
- Maritime Border Control
- Prevention and Suppression of Trafficking and Smuggling and Connected Maritime Law Enforcement
- Maritime Monitoring and Surveillance
- Maritime Ship and Port Security
The manual was developed with the purpose of harmonising and standardising the techniques and procedures that are used by helicopter hoist operators during Frontex Joint Operations and to train instructors in Member States/Schengen Associated Countries to expert level and to prepare hoist operators for Frontex Joint Operations.
Contact: HoU.TRU@frontex.europa.eu
- Maritime Border Control
- Prevention and Suppression of Trafficking and Smuggling and Connected Maritime Law Enforcement
- Maritime Monitoring and Surveillance
- Maritime Ship and Port Security
The night vision goggles (NVG) Training procedures manual contains clear guidelines for instructors to train crew members of the Member States (MS)/ Schengen Associated Countries (SAC) in the use of NVG.
Contact: HoU.TRU@frontex.europa.eu
- Maritime Border Control
- Prevention and Suppression of Trafficking and Smuggling and Connected Maritime Law Enforcement
- Maritime Monitoring and Surveillance
- Maritime Ship and Port Security
This Frontex Air-Crew Training Manual is the first step towards a unified European air operation system for border guards and police forces. A high level of flight safety through common training standards, the sharing of best practices, and harmonised procedures is the way forward to ensure successful future Joint Operations (JOs) in European border security. The main objective of this training manual is to set common training standards for both national and Frontex training.
This Manual sets common standards within Frontex Air-Crew Training for JOs for the following:
- meteorological flight minima
- proposals for the minimum flight crew
- description of training needs for air-crew members’ standardisation
- description of common training courses.
- Maritime Safety Including Vessel Traffic Management
- Maritime Border Control
- Prevention and Suppression of Trafficking and Smuggling and Connected Maritime Law Enforcement
- Maritime Search and Rescue
- Maritime Monitoring and Surveillance
- Maritime Ship and Port Security
This trainer’s manual aims at providing a modern training package for trainers of first- and second-line border guards. The training material comprises three training modules: Awareness, Identification and Interviewing. Trafficking of children is incorporated as a separate section in all three modules.
Contact: HoU.TRU@frontex.europa.eu
- Maritime Border Control
- Prevention and Suppression of Trafficking and Smuggling and Connected Maritime Law Enforcement
- Maritime Ship and Port Security
The document sets out good or best practices in the practical conduct of boarding during Frontex-coordinated Maritime Joint Operation. Within this framework, a working group was set up to collect experience from the practitioners in the field, by evaluating the response to incidents, the preparedness and the lessons identified and learned, assessing the difference in approach between authorities and the interpretation of the legal framework supporting the activities.
Contact: HoS.CGS@frontex.europa.eu; cgs.ot@frontex.europa.eu
Link: https://myfx.frontex.europa.eu/cases/GRP209/GRP-2021-00010/Documents/2022/9.%20Documents%20referred%20to%20in%20the%20OPLANs/2.%20Sea/Handbook%20on%20Boarding%20in%20Frontex%20Coordinated%20Joint%20Maritime%20Operations%20Best%20Practices%20&%20Guidelines.pdf#search=Boarding%20in%20Frontex%2Dcoordinated%20Joint%20Maritime%20Operation
- Maritime Border Control
- Prevention and Suppression of Trafficking and Smuggling and Connected Maritime Law Enforcement
- Maritime Search and Rescue
The report provides an analysis of the current situation of border control at the seaports of the European Union and in Norway, including the identification of challenges confronted by border guards, good practices, guidelines, and recommendations. To draft it, a working group (WG) was set up by Frontex RDU comprising all EU MSs with an external maritime border and Norway. In a series of meetings, the experts documented and assessed national practices and shared experiences gained in making border control on ships and persons at seaports. A number of identified challenges requiring a common EU approach are presented in the report. The document contains also a number of best practices of likely interest and utility to MSs who may wish to implement such practices at their seaports.
Contact: HoU.RIU@frontex.europa.eu
- Maritime Border Control
The CCC offers a set of standards for national border guard training institutions, teachers and students in all EU Member States. The CCC for border guard basic training in the EU (including Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) consists of a General Part and separate air, land and sea border modules.
Contact: HoU.TRU@frontex.europa.eu
Link: https://myfx.frontex.europa.eu/cases/PRJ36/PRJ-2018-00009/Documents/40%20Deliverables/Glossary/Tri-Lingual%20Glossary%20(aka%20Alef)/Sources/List%20of%20Sources-Publications/Common%20Core%20Curriculum%20for%20Border%20and%20Coast%20Guard%20Basic%20Training%20in%20the%20EU.pdf#search=Common%20Core%20Curriculum
- Maritime Safety Including Vessel Traffic Management
- Maritime Border Control
- Prevention and Suppression of Trafficking and Smuggling and Connected Maritime Law Enforcement
- Maritime Search and Rescue
- Maritime Monitoring and Surveillance
- Maritime Ship and Port Security
The objective of the CIRAM is to establish a conceptual framework to assist Frontex and Member States in the preparation of risk analyses and to promote a common understanding of risk analysis. The CIRAM establish a clear and transparent methodology for risk analysis, which should serve as a benchmark for analytical activities, thus promoting harmonisation and the preconditions for efficient information exchange and cooperation in the field of border security.
Contact: HoU.ANALYSIS@frontex.europa.eu
Link: https://www.frontex.europa.eu/what-we-do/monitoring-and-risk-analysis/ciram/
- Maritime Border Control
- Prevention and Suppression of Trafficking and Smuggling and Connected Maritime Law Enforcement
- Maritime Monitoring and Surveillance
- Maritime Ship and Port Security
This manual aims to support Consular Staff in detection of falsified documents. It gives clear instructions how to check a document, provides examples of fraud and describes the printing safeguards.
Contact: HoU.TRU@frontex.europa.eu
- Maritime Border Control
This manual was drafted in accordance with international and European human rights standards. The manual takes into consideration the complexity of the duties performed by officials at the EU’s borders. In this respect, great care was taken to represent as closely as possible the everyday reality of officers. The goal of the course manual is to provide guidance to training institutions willing to implement a Sectoral Qualifications Framework-based programme for border-related fundamental rights trainers. With this manual Frontex entrusts border guard training institutions and border guard trainers with the implementation of the standards set and consequently with the dissemination and promotion of fundamental rights within the European border guard community.
Contact: HoU.TRU@frontex.europa.eu
Link: Course manual for fundamental rights trainers_web.pdf (europa.eu)
- Maritime Border Control
Designed specifically for the training of fisheries officials, Union Inspectors before their first deployment, as well
as other officials in the Member States and the Commission. This is a handbook for the trainee to help them
understand the general principles and specific types of fisheries inspections.
- Fisheries Inspection & Control
Designed specifically for the training of fisheries officials, Union Inspectors before their first deployment, as well as other officials in the Member States and the Commission. This is a handbook for the trainee on ‘Inspections at Sea’, and contains the course substantive material and textbook, handouts and worksheets. The handbook is meant to help trainees to understand an inspection at sea.
- Fisheries Inspection & Control
Designed specifically for the training of fisheries officials, Union Inspectors before their first deployment, as well as other officials in the Member States and the Commission. This is a handbook for the trainee on ‘Port Fisheries Inspections – Landing Inspection’, and contains the course substantive material and textbook, handouts and worksheets. The handbook is meant to help trainees to understand a Port Fisheries Inspection – Landing Inspection.
- Fisheries Inspection & Control
Designed specifically for the training of fisheries officials, Union Inspectors before their first deployment, as well as other officials in the Member States and the Commission. This is a handbook for the trainee on ‘Port Fisheries Inspections – Transhipment Inspection’, and contains the course substantive material and textbook, handouts and worksheets. The handbook is meant to help trainees to understand a Port Fisheries Inspection – Transhipment Inspection.
https://www.efca.europa.eu/sites/default/files/atoms/files/Transhipment%20handbook.pdf
- Fisheries Inspection & Control
The objective of this course is to provide an overview of the wide variety of systems and tools used in a Fisheries
Monitoring Centre (FMC) and to demonstrate how they are used to gather and manage operational data,
information and possibly intelligence. The course shows how this in turn is used to direct the control and
enforcement assets in the most efficient and effective manner.
- Fisheries Inspection & Control
- Maritime Monitoring and Surveillance
This document represents an overview of the methodology to guide this process, introducing the concept of
indicators, explaining how they can be used to measure compliance in fisheries, listing the properties that
characterise a good indicator and detailing how the procedure of incorporating indicators can take place at
national and regional level. With the use of these tools and following the methodology proposed, harmonised
compliance-based benchmarks can be obtained and a level playing field will be achieved.
https://www.efca.europa.eu/en/content/indicators-compliance-fisheries
- Fisheries Inspection & Control
The aim of this document is to present the generic principles and guidelines of risk assessment (RA) conducted by
the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) as a key tool for the implementation of the Specific Control and
Inspection Programmes (SCIPs) agreed end of December 2018 and for the strategic planning of Joint Deployment
Plans (JDPs).
https://www.efca.europa.eu/en/content/guidelines-risk-assessment-methodology-fisheries-compliance
- Fisheries Inspection & Control
The scope of this document is to describe minimum technical requirements and standards for REM systems, which
could be used as a tool to monitor and document compliance with the CFP landing obligation in EU fisheries. It is
meant as a guidance document for MS authorities to be used for the potential implementation of REM on their
vessels with the purpose of monitoring and control of the landing obligation and related provisions. The document
also seeks to highlight particular issues that require attention when implementing and using a REM system.
- Fisheries Inspection & Control
- Maritime Monitoring and Surveillance