PURPOSE: to transpose into Union law measures of the multiannual Bluefin Tuna (BFT) recovery plan in the Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean adopted by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.
ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.
BACKGROUND: the objective of the Common Fisheries Policy, as set out in Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 is to ensure exploitation of living aquatic resources that provides sustainable economic, environmental and social conditions.
The Union is Party to the ICCAT, the Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (RFMO) responsible for the management of tuna and tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean and adjoining seas to which the Union is a Contracting Party.
The ICCAT has the authority to adopt decisions (“recommendations”) for fisheries conservation and management in its area of competence; these acts are binding.
Certain ICCAT BFT measures were transposed through Regulation (EU) No 544/2014 which amended Council Regulation (EC) No 302/2009. The purpose of that amendment was to transpose the measures on fishing seasons adopted by ICCAT in 2012 and 2013.
With a view to ensure uniform and effective application throughout the European Union of all measures of the Recovery plan adopted between 2012 and 2014, the current proposal will incorporate them into a Regulation concerning a multiannual recovery plan for BFT in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. This Regulation will repeal Council Regulation (EC) No 302/2009.
CONTENT: the objective of the proposed Regulation, in line with the Recovery plan, is to achieve a biomass corresponding to the maximum sustainable yield by 2022 with at least 60% probability.
The proposal aims at transposing into Union law measures of the multiannual Bluefin Tuna (BFT) recovery plan in the Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean adopted by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) at its annual meetings between 2012 and 2014. It contains technical measures such as those on transfer and caging operations of live BFT, including also measures on the use of stereoscopic cameras to estimate the quantities of BFT and releases, catch reporting requirements, and the implementation of the ICCAT Regional Observer Programme.
The new Regulation on the CFP introduced a landing obligation which applies as of 1 January 2015 to Bluefin tuna. Under that Regulation, the Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts, for the purpose of implementing such international obligations into Union law, including, in particular, derogations from the landing obligation.
Accordingly, the discard of bluefin tuna will be allowed in some situations laid down in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 2015/98. This Regulation does therefore not need to cover such discard obligations.
DELEGATED ACT: the proposal contains provisions to empower the Commission to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.