Catalogue of Best Practices, Guidelines, and Manuals
The The Best Practice Guidelines and Manuals Catalogue made available on this online platform constitutes a non-exhaustive compilation of documents of relevance to coast guard functions, originating from EFCA, EMSA, and Frontex.
Additional information may be accessed through the following official sources:
The Handbook on Boarding in Frontex Coordinated Joint Maritime Operations: Best Practices & Guidelines sets out good or best practices in the practical conduct of boarding during the Frontex coordinated operational activities where migrant smuggling, drugs smuggling and other cross-border crime can be countered and what might lead to the boarding operations.
Contact: POLI.CG@frontex.europa.eu
- Maritime Border Control
The Handbook on Common Risk Indicators (CRIs) supports border and coast guard officers and participants in Frontex operational activities in applying a common, risk-based approach to the identification of persons, routes and behaviours that may indicate links to terrorism, foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs), violent extremism or related hybrid/security threats. It complements mandatory database checks, including SIS and other relevant systems, by helping officers detect both “known” persons and “unknown” subjects of interest whose details may not yet be registered. The handbook provides practical indicators and guidance for referring cases of persons posing a threat to the EU for more detailed checks, while ensuring that the use of CRIs remains proportionate, non-discriminatory and fully aligned with fundamental rights and data-protection requirements.
Link: CRI_EN.pdf (europa.eu)
- Maritime Border Control
The Handbook on Firearms for Border Guards and Customs is developed to support border guards/police and customs officers with their daily duties at the border and thus improve detections of firearms, its parts and ammunition in respect to passengers, means of transportation and belongings. Moreover, the Handbook allows to better profile the control measures and increase awareness on modalities of arms trafficking with a focus on smuggling methods. One of the objectives is also to provide guidelines on security measures that should be undertaken by the officers when securing and handling the firearms and ammunition detected at the borders.
Contact: HoS.OPP@frontex.europa.eu ; firearms@frontex.europa.eu
- Maritime Border Control
More emphasis is to be put on victims of trafficking arriving at the external borders as well as on increasing the likelihood of participants to identify potential cases of THB. The Handbook is developed to support participants in the early identification of victims of THB of respective nationalities and perpetrators crossing an external border together with the victims, as well as to provide an overview of the trafficking processes, including information on the recruitment of victims, the modi operandi of the criminal networks, and the victims’ situations.
- Maritime Border Control
Designed specifically as a ‘manual for the trainer’ for use in the training of fisheries officials, Union Inspectors before their first deployment, as well as other officials in the Member States and the Commission, for the carrying out of a ‘Fisheries Inspection at Sea’.
- Fisheries Inspection & Control
The Risk-Based Assessment Tool (RBAT) is a structured methodology designed to systematically identify hazards, evaluate risks, and define controls for autonomous vessel operations.
More information: www.emsa.europa.eu/mass/rbat.html
The specific objectives of the study are as follows:
a) to establish an inventory of security relevant issues in the context of the application for, production, and use of electronic passports (BAC and EAC) in Europe;
b) to individuate differences among EU/Schengen member States and highlight eventual problems for interoperability when the passports are used for identification at external borders;
c) to identify best practices related to the issuance processes;
d) to suggest a set of recommendation to redress security gaps in the issuance process.
The resulting report covers not only security but also interoperability and follows the e-Passport through all the steps of its life-cycle, from application to invalidation.
- Maritime Border Control
Following recent maritime incidents involving ships in distress in waters outside the jurisdiction of any one State,
the Member States of the European Union, together with the European Commission and the European Maritime
Safety Agency (EMSA), decided to review the framework for co-operation and co-ordination between States in such
cases, to improve the existing arrangements.
Designed specifically as a ‘manual for the trainer’ for use in the training of fisheries officials, Union Inspectors before their first deployment, as well as other officials in the Member States and the Commission, for the carrying out of a ‘Port Fisheries Inspection – Landing Inspection’.
- Fisheries Inspection & Control
Designed specifically as a ‘manual for the trainer’ for use in the training of fisheries officials, Union Inspectors before their first deployment, as well as other officials in the Member States and the Commission, for the carrying out of a ‘Port Fisheries Inspection – Transhipment Inspection’.
- Fisheries Inspection & Control