Conservation and control measures applicable in the Regulatory Area of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO)

PURPOSE: to establish conservation and control measures applicable in the Regulatory Area of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EU) 2019/833 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down conservation and enforcement measures (CEM) applicable in the Regulatory Area of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation, amending Regulation (EU) 2016/1627 and repealing Council Regulations (EC) No 2115/2005 and (EC) No 1386/2007.

CONTENT: the Regulation aims to transpose into Union law the conservation and enforcement measures adopted by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) which are binding on the Contracting Parties with a view to their uniform and effective implementation within the Union. The Union has been a contracting party to NAFO since 1979.

The Regulation covers the measures adopted by NAFO since 2008 and the entry into force of the amended NAFO Convention on 18 May 2017.

Since 2008, the CEMs have been amended at every annual meeting of NAFO Contracting Parties. Under this Regulation, the new provisions are incorporated into Union law, including conservation measures for certain species, protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems, inspection procedures at sea and in port, vessel requirements, monitoring of fishing activities and additional port State measures.

In order to ensure a level playing field between EU fishing vessels and other fleets fishing for bluefin tuna, the measures of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) contained in Recommendation 18-02 concerning by-catches, farming and fishing capacity and open fishing seasons are included in Regulation (EU) 2016/1627 on a multi-annual recovery programme for bluefin tuna stocks in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.

Given that NAFO's CEMs are amended each year, the proposal provides for the possibility of conferring delegated powers on the Commission under Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) to take into account changes, which are likely to be frequent.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 17.6.2019.

APPLICATION: from 21.6.2019.