Community Fisheries Control Agency and control system

PURPOSE: the establishment of a Community Fisheries Control Agency and amending Regulation 2847/93/EEC establishing a control system applicable to the common fisheries policy.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Regulation 768/2005/EC.

CONTENT: The Council adopted a Regulation establishing a Community Fisheries Control Agency. The objective of the agency, whose headquarters will be in Vigo (Spain ), is to organise the coordination of fisheries control and inspection activities by the Member States and to assist them to cooperate so as to comply with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy.

The principal changes with respect to the original proposal submitted in April 2004 concern, inter alia, the extension of the Agency's functions to include coordination of inspector training. The Agency will also be associated with the Member States in the development of control and inspection techniques, the

organisation of operational cooperation and details of joint deployment plans.

The adoption of this Regulation constitutes the final part of the reform of the common fisheries policy (CFP) begun in December 2002. It provides for the introduction of uniform inspections in the Community, operational coordination on the basis of coherent control and inspection plans (MCS) and the pooling by the Member States of national means of control and inspection with a view to joint deployment, the organisation of which will be carried out by a Community body in accordance with the aforementioned control and inspection programmes. The Agency will organise the joint deployment of national means within the framework of an appropriate Community plan.

The agency's annual budget is estimated at EUR 5 million and is due to commence its activities within a year.

This Regulation amends Regulation 2847/93/EEC establishing a control system applicable to the common fisheries policy.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 10/06/2005.