EC/Estonia fisheries agreement

OBJECTIVE: the object of the proposal for a Council Regulation is the conclusion of an Agreement on Fisheries Relations between the European Community and the Republic of Estonia, with a view to amalgamating the existing Agreement concluded by the Community with Estonia in 1993 and those concluded with Estonia by Sweden and Finland before their accession to the EU. COMMUNITY MEASURE: Council Regulation (EC) No 2396/96 on the conclusion of an Agreement on Fisheries Relations between the European Community and the Republic of Estonia. SUBSTANCE: The new Agreement, applicable for a period of ten years, comprises all the elements of the existing Agreements: balanced exchange of quotas, reciprocal access arrangements, and the possibility for the Community to obtain from Estonia fishing rights on surplus stocks in return for financial compensation. Other elements that have been included in the new Agreement are, inter alia, explicit references to the rights of the parties to inspect each other's vessels, a settlement procedure in the case of an arrest of a vessel, and an undertaking to cooperate in international organizations. To take account of the Europe Agreement that has been concluded with Estonia, the parties undertook to cooperate with the aim of establishing joint enterprises in the fisheries sector. For this purpose, provision has been made for the possibility of concluding at a later stage a Protocol implementing the elements of the 'second generation' agreements. ENTRY INTO FORCE: 27 December 1996. The President of the Council will designate the persons authorized to sign the Agreement for the purpose of committing the Community. �