# C_2005217EN.01000601.xml

| 3.9.2005 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 217/6 |
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JUDGMENT OF THE COURT

(Third Chamber)

of 21 July 2005

in Case C-149/03: Commission of the European Communities v Kingdom of Belgium( 1 )

(Failure by a Member State to fulfil obligations - System of fishing quotas - 1991 to 1996 fishing years)

(2005/C 217/11)

Language of the case: Dutch

In Case C-149/03 Commission of the European Communities (Agent: T. van Rijn) v Kingdom of Belgium (Agent: A. Snoecx, assisted by H. Gilliams) — action under Article 226 EC for failure to fulfil obligations, brought on 1 April 2003 — the Court (Third Chamber), composed of A. Rosas, President of the Chamber, J.-P. Puissochet (Rapporteur), S. von Bahr, J. Malenovský and U. Lõhmus, Judges; C. Stix-Hackl, Advocate General; R. Grass, Registrar, gave a judgment on 21 July 2005, in which it:

| 1. | Declares that, having failed
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to establish the appropriate detailed rules for utilisation of the quotas allocated to it for each of the fishing years in the period 1991 to 1996; —
in respect of each of those fishing years to ensure compliance with Community legislation on the conservation of fisheries resources through the supervision of fishing activities and appropriate monitoring of the unloading and registration of catches; —
in respect of each of those fishing years within a reasonable period of time provisionally to prohibit fishing with vessels which fly its flag or are registered within its territory when the applicable quota was deemed to have been exhausted; —
to adopt administrative or criminal measures against those responsible for fishing activities after bans had come into force, the Kingdom of Belgium has failed to fulfil its obligations under Article 5(2) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 170/83 of 25 January 1983 establishing a Community system for the conservation and management of fishery resources, Article 9(2) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 3760/92 of 20 December 1992 establishing a Community system for fisheries and aquaculture, Article 1 and Article 11(1) and (2) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2241/87 of 23 July 1987 establishing certain control measures for fishing activities and Article 2, Article 21(1) and (2) and Article 31 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 of 12 October 1993 establishing a control system applicable to the common fisheries policy. | — | to establish the appropriate detailed rules for utilisation of the quotas allocated to it for each of the fishing years in the period 1991 to 1996; | — | in respect of each of those fishing years to ensure compliance with Community legislation on the conservation of fisheries resources through the supervision of fishing activities and appropriate monitoring of the unloading and registration of catches; | — | in respect of each of those fishing years within a reasonable period of time provisionally to prohibit fishing with vessels which fly its flag or are registered within its territory when the applicable quota was deemed to have been exhausted; | — | to adopt administrative or criminal measures against those responsible for fishing activities after bans had come into force, |
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| — | to establish the appropriate detailed rules for utilisation of the quotas allocated to it for each of the fishing years in the period 1991 to 1996; | | | | | | | | |
| — | in respect of each of those fishing years to ensure compliance with Community legislation on the conservation of fisheries resources through the supervision of fishing activities and appropriate monitoring of the unloading and registration of catches; | | | | | | | | |
| — | in respect of each of those fishing years within a reasonable period of time provisionally to prohibit fishing with vessels which fly its flag or are registered within its territory when the applicable quota was deemed to have been exhausted; | | | | | | | | |
| — | to adopt administrative or criminal measures against those responsible for fishing activities after bans had come into force, | | | | | | | | |

| 2. | Orders the Kingdom of Belgium to pay the costs. |
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( 1 )  OJ C 135 of 07.06.2003.

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