On 3 June 2004, the European Commission (DG TREN) requested from EMSA technical input supporting the forthcoming new legislative proposals on maritime safety.

A report was prepared showing how EU Member States had organised their maritime administrations and how the respective bodies implemented their obligations under the International Conventions and EU legislation, relating to safety at sea and pollution prevention from ships.

Since the first delivery of the “Overview” in 2004, the number of EU Member States has increased from 25 to 27 (Bulgaria and Romania joined the European Union on 1 January 2007). New pieces of legislation have also come into force at international and European level, which have implied, in some cases, changes in the organisation of the EU maritime administrations. Following these changes, EMSA, in cooperation with the Members States, decided to update the 2007 version of the “Overview".