PURPOSE: to establish a Scheme of control and enforcement applicable in the area covered by the Convention on future multilateral cooperation in the North-East Atlantic fisheries.
PROPOSED ACT: Council Regulation.
CONTENT: the Convention on Future Multilateral co-operation in North East Atlantic Fisheries to which European Community is a Contracting Party aims to ensure the long term conservation and optimum utilisation of the fishery resources of the North East Atlantic area, providing sustainable, environmental and social benefits.
For the purpose of ensuring the application of this Convention and recommendations adopted by the North East Atlantic Commission (NEAFC), measures concerning control and enforcement relating to fisheries concerned may be adopted. The Scheme of control and enforcement applies to all vessels used or intended for use for fishing activities conducted on fishery resources in areas defined in the Convention.
NEAFC adopted during its 25th annual meeting in 2006 a new Scheme to improve the control and enforcement of its recommendations. The main change is the merge of the former Scheme and the Program to promote compliance by non contracting Party vessels.
The other change is the inclusion of a new Port State Control system which effectively closes European ports to landings of frozen fish, which have not been verified to be legal by the flag State of the foreign vessel. It provides new measures considering control of vessels engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fisheries. The new Port State Control Measures were last amended by a recommendation adopted by NEAFC at the 26th annual meeting.
These Recommendations came into force in May 2007, February 2008 and January 2009. They are binding on the Contracting Parties under the terms of the NEAFC Convention. The Community, as a Contracting Party, should consequently apply them.
Therefore, this proposal seeks to update the Community rules transposing the Scheme of control and enforcement adopted by the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC). It lays down the general rules and conditions for the application by the Community of the Scheme of control and enforcement adopted by the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission.
Unless otherwise stated, the proposed Regulation shall apply to all Community vessels used or intended for use for fishing activities conducted on fishery resources in the Regulatory Area of the Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in North-East Atlantic Fisheries.
IMPACT ASSESSMENT: no formal impact assessment.
BUDGETARY IMPLICATION: the proposal has no implication for the Community budget.