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Fishing activities of Community fishing vessels outside Community waters and the access of third country vessels to Community waters

2007/0114(CNS)

PURPOSE: to update the authorisations system for fishing activities of Community fishing vessels outside Community waters and the access of third country vessels to Community waters.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Regulation (EC) No 1006/2008 concerning authorisations for fishing activities of Community fishing vessels outside Community waters and the access of third country vessels to Community waters, amending Regulations (EEC) No 2847/93 and (EC) No 1627/94 and repealing Regulation (EC) No 3317/94.

CONTENT: following the 2006-2008 Action plan for simplifying and improving the Common Fisheries Policy, presented in the Communication from the Commission to the Council and Parliament of 8 December 2005, and the changed circumstances for fisheries outside Community waters since the adoption of Regulation (EC) No 3317/94, and in order to comply with international obligations, it was necessary to introduce a general Community system for the authorisation of all fishing activities of Community fishing vessels outside Community waters.

Moreover, the rules for access of fishing vessels flying the flag of a third country to Community waters, as currently laid down in other different legal instruments, needed to be redefined.

The purpose of the system is to:

  • better align the Community authorisation procedures with international obligations deriving from bilateral fisheries agreements and multilateral agreements and conventions adopted in the framework of regional fisheries management organisations (RFMO);
  • better comply with the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), in particular with regard to sustainable fisheries and control.

In practice, the Regulation establishes provisions regarding:

(a) the authorisation for Community fishing vessels to engage in the following fishing activities: (i) in the waters under the sovereignty or jurisdiction of a third country in the framework of a fisheries agreement concluded between the Community and that country, or (ii) falling under the scope of conservation and management measures adopted in the framework of a regional fisheries management organisation or similar arrangement to which the Community is a contracting party or non-contracting cooperating Party, or (iii) outside Community waters not falling under the scope of a fisheries agreement or a RFMO;

(b) the authorisation for third country fishing vessels to engage in fishing activities in Community waters;

(c) the reporting obligations relating to the authorised activities.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 18/11/2008.