PURPOSE: to transpose in Union law a number of
measures adopted by the General Fisheries Commission for the
Mediterranean (GFCM) at its annual sessions of 2011, 2012 and
2013.
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 GFCM Agreement provides an appropriate
framework for multilateral cooperation to promote the development,
conservation, rational management and best utilisation of living
marine resources in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea at levels
which are considered sustainable and at low risk of collapse. The
European Union, as well as Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, France,
Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Malta, Romania and Slovenia are contracting
parties to the GFCM Agreement.
At its Annual Sessions in 2011 and 2012, the GFCM
adopted measures for the sustainable exploitation of red coral in
its area of competence to be implemented in Union law.
The GFCM adopted other recommendations laying
down:
- measures for the mitigation of incidental catches of
seabirds, sea turtles, monk seals and cetaceans in fishing
activities in the GFCM Agreement area to be implemented in Union
law;
- measures aiming to ensure in its area of competence a
high level of protection from fishing activities to sharks and
rays, and in particular to the shark and ray species listed as
endangered or threatened under Annex II of the Protocol concerning
Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the
Mediterranean to the Barcelona
Convention;
- measures for fisheries exploiting small pelagic stocks
in the Adriatic Sea which should be implemented in Union
law.
Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011
of the European Parliament and of the Council
lays down certain provisions for fishing in the GFCM Agreement
area. It is proposed to amend this Regulation to include the
measures contained in the GFCM recommendations.
CONTENT: the proposal contains technical measures for
the sustainable exploitation of red coral, the mitigation of
incidental captures of seabirds, sea turtles and cetaceans and the
conservation of monk seals, sharks and rays in the GFCM Agreement
area.
Such measures go beyond the protection already ensured
to these species at EU level by the Habitats Directive and other
Union acts and include specific recording
and reporting obligations for both operators and Member
States.
The proposal also implements in Union law certain
measures for fisheries for small pelagic stocks in the Adriatic
Sea.
DELEAGTED ACTS: the proposal contains provisions
empowering the Commission to adopt delegated acts in accordance
with Article 290 of the treaty on the Functioning of the European
Union.