General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean GFCM: amending agreement, autonomous budget

PURPOSE : to amend the Decision relating to the accession of the Community to the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) with a view to allowing this organisation to establish an autonomous budget. COMMUNITY MEASURE : Council Decision 2000/487/EC on the acceptance, by the European Community, of the amendment to the Agreement establishing the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean with a view to establishing an autonomous budget for that organisation. CONTENT : in the context of the management of fish stocks in thr Mediterranean, the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) constitutes an essential element, since it is the only multilateral organisation which includes all Costal States of the Mediterranean. At its meeting in 1997, the GFCM adopted amendments to the text of the agreement establishing an autonomous budget. These were of three types: - permitting regional economic integration organisations to join the GFCM, therefore allowing the accession of the Community to the organisation; - reinforcing the organisation through the creation of a scientific advisory committee and foreseeing annual meetings; - establishing an autonomous budget. GFCM considered that the first two types of amendments did not represent a new obligation for the Union and it was simply decided to incorporate them in the text accompanying the Council Decision of 16/07/1998. However, the third type of amendment, involving the establishment of an autonomous budget is considered as a "new obligation". Therefore, it is necessary to amend the Agreement in order to make the principle of the budget acceptable to the Community to provide subsequently a financial contribution from the Community budget audit. The objective of the present Decision is to amend the declaration of the competences and voting rights deposited at the time of the accession of the Community to the GFCM and make the Community accept the GFCM's autonomous budget. ENTRY INTO FORCE : the Decision shall enter into force on the 17.07.2000. However, the Agreement shall enter into force as from the date of the receipt of the fifth instrument of acceptance.�