The Plan aims to identify the status of SAR preparedness of EUR Region States and State SAR arrangements. It also makes recommendations for SAR planning and preparedness enhancements, in terms of compliance with the Convention on International Civil Aviation, Annex 12, the International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue (IAMSAR) Manual guidance, and accepted best international practice. It provides recommendations to IMO for harmonised and interoperable delivery of both aeronautical and maritime SAR services. It requires regular updating to keep current with changes in ICAO Annexes and guidance material, the IAMSAR Manual, regional aviation activity, developments in ATM system, new technology, political considerations, as well as human performance lessons learned from actual SAR responses.

Initially, IALA was a non-profit, international technical association. Established in 1957, it gathered marine aids to navigation authorities, manufacturers, consultants, and, scientific and training institutes from all parts of the world to exchange and compare their experiences and achievements. On 22 August 2024, it officially changed its status from a Non-governmental Organization (NGO) to an Intergovernmental Organization (IGO) based on a Convention.
The aim of IALA is to foster the safe, economic and efficient movement of vessels, through improvement and harmonisation of aids to navigation worldwide and other appropriate means, for the benefit of the maritime community and the protection of the environment.

It provides for recommendations (soft law).
 

OSPAR is the mechanism by which 15 Governments & the EU cooperate to protect the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic. OSPAR was started in 1972 with the Oslo Convention against dumping and was broadened to cover land-based sources of marine pollution and the offshore industry by the Paris Convention of 1974. These two conventions were unified, up-dated and extended in 1992 with a new annex on biodiversity and ecosystems was adopted in 1998 to cover non-polluting human activities that can adversely affect the sea. The fifteen Governments are Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and UK.

The International Civil Aviation Organization is a UN specialized agency, established in 1944 to manage the administration and governance of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention). ICAO works with the Convention’s 193 Member States and industry groups to reach consensus on international civil aviation Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and policies in support of a safe, efficient, secure, economically sustainable and environmentally responsible civil aviation sector. These ensure local civil aviation operations and regulations conform to global norms, allowing more than 100,000 daily flights in aviation’s global network to operate safely and reliably, many over the world’s oceans and seas.

The group, consisting of Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK, aims to develop processes to share maritime information in support of national maritime safety and security objectives, and to improve maritime situational awareness in the multi-agency maritime environment. With a focus on the North Sea and the Channel, they also aim to work on the integration of existing systems/channels as well as ongoing projects to provide real-time data exchange, while also developing procedures to mutually support common objectives in areas of common maritime interest.

The EFCA coordinates the implementation of Specific Control and Inspection Programmes (SCIP) for the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the North Sea and the Western Waters. EFCA, with the MS’s, provides a specific organisational framework for operational coordination of control activities in the different areas, known as Joint Deployment Plan (JDP’s). The JDPs are for fisheries/areas prioritised by the European Commission and the MS’s concerned. They can be for European Union waters for which the SCIP has been adopted by the Commission with the Member States, or for International waters under the competence of an RFMO, such as NAFO or NEAFC, where EFCA is requested to coordinate the implementation of the EU obligations under an International Control and Inspection Scheme.

The International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) is the international non-governmental organisation (NGO) working to develop and improve maritime search and rescue (SAR) capacity around the world, improving maritime SAR capability worldwide. The IMRF brings together the world's maritime SAR organisations involving both voluntary and governmental organisations. As well as capacity building, the IMRF also has an advocacy role, providing an international voice for its members. It is the only maritime SAR NGO with consultative status at the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The European Coast Guard Functions Forum (ECGFF) is a self-governing, non-binding, voluntary, independent and non-political forum bringing together the Coast Guard authorities from 25 EU Member States and Schengen associated countries, as well as representatives of the EU institutions and bodies with competencies related to EU CG Functions. Since its establishment in 2009 the European Commission and EU Agencies, have supported the ECGFF. The rotating chair, supported by a secretariat, governs the Forum with responsibility to implement the annual programme. Bringing together over 30 national coastguard authorities from EU countries and associated Schengen countries, it works on collaborative issues i.e. multi-agency, multinational operations and capacity building among CG academies.

The EAASP aims to work in partnership through the mutual exchange of knowledge and practices to make the ports of Europe a safe environment for the communities they serve. The responsibility for the control of seaports within EAASP member countries lies, as it does with aviation, with national organisations. However, the EAASP Maritime Group (EMG) can, and does, play an important role in the coordination and implementation of joint security operations carried out by those organisations, as well as legislative changes relating to the management and security of seaports. The EMG promotes common standards and inter-operability, and aims to develop the exchange of information and intelligence.

The Marine Accident Investigators’ International Forum (MAIIF) is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to the advancement of maritime safety and the prevention of marine pollution through the exchange of ideas, experiences and information acquired in marine accident investigation. It aims to promote and improve marine accident investigation, and to foster cooperation and communication between marine accident investigators. It aims to develop and sustain a co-operative relationship among national marine investigators in order to share knowledge in an international forum, and to improve maritime safety and the prevention of pollution via the dissemination of information from the investigative process.