30.12.2006 Official Journal of the European Union L 394/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) REGULATION (EC) No 1891/2006 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 18 December 2006 on multiannual funding for the action of the European Maritime Safety Agency in the field of response to pollution caused by ships and amending Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002 (Text with EEA relevance) THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Commu- nity, and in particular Article 80(2) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (1), Having consulted the Committee of the Regions, Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (3, Whereas: 1 Certain bilateral and regional agreements concluded between coastal states, such as the Helsinki and Barcelona Conventions of 1992 and 1976 respectively, provide for mutual assistance in the event of a maritime pollution incident. Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002 (%) established a European Maritime Safety Agency (hereinafter ‘the Agency’) for the purpose of ensuring a high, uniform and effective level of maritime safety and prevention of pollution by ships. Regulation (EC) No 724/2004, which amended Regula- tion (EC) No 1406/2002, assigned to the Agency new tasks in the fields of preventing and responding to pollution caused by ships, in response to recent accidents in Community waters, particularly those of the oil tankers ‘Erika’ and ‘Prestige’. O] C 28, 3.2.2006, p. 16. Opinion of the European Parliament of 5 September 2006 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and Council Decision of 18 December 2006. OJ L 208, 5.8.2002, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 724/2004 (O] L 129, 29.4.2004, p. 1). (4) For the purposes of implementing these new tasks of preventing and responding to pollution, the Administrative Board of the Agency adopted on 22 October 2004 an Action Plan for Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response, which determines the Agency’s oil pollution response activities and is aimed at optimum use of the financial resources available to the Agency (hereinafter ‘the Action Plan’). The pollution response action of the Agency, as defined in the Action Plan, relates to activities in the fields of information, cooperation and coordination and above all the provision of operational assistance to the Member States by supplying, on request, additional anti-pollution vessels to combat oil pollution and other types of pollution such as that caused by hazardous and noxious substances. The Agency is to pay particular attention to those areas identified as most vulnerable without prejudice to any other area in need. The activities of the Agency in this field should not relieve coastal states of their responsibility to have appropriate pollution response mechanisms in place and should comply with existing cooperation arrangements between Member States or groups of Member States in this field. In the event of a maritime pollution incident, the Agency is to assist the Member State(s) affected, under whose authority clean-up operations are to be conducted. In accordance with the Action Plan, the Agency is to play an active role in developing a centralised satellite imagery service for surveillance, the early detection of pollution and identification of the ships responsible. This new system will improve the availability of data and the effectiveness of the response to pollution caused by ships.