COM(2020)0215
EUR-Lex

PURPOSE: to transpose into Union law the amendments to the conservation and enforcement measures adopted by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) at its last annual meeting in 2019.

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 on an equal footing with the Council.

BACKGROUND: since the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2019/833 of the European Parliament and of the Council, the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) has adopted, at its 41st annual meeting, a number of legally binding decisions for the conservation of the fishery resources under its purview. The EU has been a Contracting Party to NAFO since 1979.

The NAFO Convention states that the conservation measures adopted by the NAFO Commission are binding and that the contracting parties are required to implement them. Regulation (EU) 2019/833 turned into Union law the NAFO conservation and enforcement measures. This proposal covers most the recent amendments adopted by NAFO. These amendments entered into force for the Union on 2 December 2019 and apply from that date. As far as the Union is concerned, they are to be incorporated into Union law to the extent that they are not already covered by Union law.

CONTENT: this proposal aims to amend Regulation (EU) 2019/833 by including the most recent amendments to the Conservation and Enforcement Measures adopted at the NAFO annual meeting in September 2019. These amendments are binding on the Contracting Parties.

The proposal:

- adapts Regulation (EU) 2019/833 in order to apply the NAFO mesh size measurement standards, to introduce the definition of fishing vessel used by NAFO to allow EU control and enforcement authorities to work in agreement with other NAFO Contracting Parties;

- includes NAFO’s editorial changes to a few provisions concerning Greenland halibut, production logbook, cross-references to infringements and infringement procedures. It introduces definitions and reference to the NAFO monitoring, control and surveillance website together with the relevant protocol for granting access to this website;

- improves the information flow between the Member States fisheries authorities, the Commission and the NAFO Secretariat and acknowledges the role of the European Fisheries Control Agency in coordinating the inspection means deployed within the NAFO Joint Inspection and Surveillance Scheme;

- introduces provisions to protect the Greenland shark;

- clarifies the need for the consent of the port State Contracting Party to be given to inspectors of another Contracting Party as well as the chartering arrangements that should apply at NAFO level;

- delegates to the Commission powers to amend the NAFO conservation and enforcement provisions on mesh sizes, sorting grids or grates and toggle chains in the Northern prawn fishing, and area restrictions for the bottom fishing activities.

COM(2020)0215
EUR-Lex