PURPOSE: to conclude the Agreement in the form of an exchange of letters between the European Union and the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) concerning membership in the Extended Commission of the Convention for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna.
NON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Decision (EU) 2015/2437 on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) concerning the membership of the Union in the Extended Commission of the Convention for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna.
CONTENT: by this Decision, the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) concerning the membership of the Union in the Extended Commission of the Convention for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna is approved on behalf of the Union.
To recall, on 1 December 2009 the Council authorised the European Commission to seek, on behalf of the Union, an amendment to the Convention for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna in order for the Union to become a Contracting Party.
While the negotiations on the amendment to the Convention have not been conclusive, during its 20th meeting in October 2013, the CCSBT amended the Resolution to establish an Extended Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna to allow the Union to become a member of the CCSBT Extended Commission through an Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters.
On 20 April 2015 the Council authorised the signature and provisional application of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the EU and the CCSBT concerning the membership of the Union in the CCSBT Extended Commission.
Since vessels flying the flags of Member States of the Union fish resources in the area of distribution of Southern Bluefin Tuna, it is in the Union's interest to play an effective role in the implementation of the Convention.
Membership of the CCSBT Extended Commission will also promote consistency in the Union's conservation approach across oceans and reinforce its commitment to the long-term conservation and sustainable use of fisheries resources globally.
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 14.12.2015.