COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1801/2006
of 30 November 2006
on the conclusion of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 37 in conjunction with Article 300(2) and the first subparagraph of Article 300(3), thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (1),
Whereas:
(1)
The European Community and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania have negotiated and initialled a Fisheries Partnership Agreement providing Community fishermen with fishing opportunities in the waters falling within the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, (hereinafter referred to as the Partnership Agreement).
(2)
It is in the Community's interest to approve the Partnership Agreement.
(3)
The method for allocating the fishing opportunities among the Member States should be defined,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
The Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania is hereby approved on behalf of the Community.
The text of the Partnership Agreement is attached to this Regulation.
Article 2
1. The fishing opportunities set out in the Protocol setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution provided for in the Fisheries Partnership Agreement (hereafter referred to as the Protocol), shall be allocated among the Member States as follows:
Fishing category
GT or maximum number of licences per licence period
Member State
GT, licences or annual catch ceiling by Member State
Category 1: Fishing vessels specialising in crustaceans other than crawfish and crab
9 440 GT
Spain
7 183 GT
Italy
1 371 GT
Portugal
886 GT
Category 2: Black hake trawlers and bottom longliners
3 600 GT
Spain
3 600 GT
Category 3: Vessels fishing for demersal species other than black hake with gear other than trawls
2 324 GT
Spain
1 500 GT
United Kingdom
800 GT
Malta
24 GT
Category 4: Pelagic freezer trawlers fishing for demersal species
750 GT
Greece
750 GT
Category 5: Cephalopods
18 600 GT
43 licences
Spain
39 licences
Italy
4 licences
Category 6: Crawfish
300 GT
Portugal
300 GT
Category 7: Freezer tuna seiners
36 licences
Spain
15 licences
France
20 licences
Malta
1 licence
Category 8: Pole-and-line tuna vessels and surface longliners
31 licences
Spain
23 licences
France
5 licences
Portugal
3 licences
Category 9: Pelagic freezer trawlers
22 licences for a maximum ceiling of 440 000 tonnes
Netherlands
190 000 tonnes
Lithuania
120 500 tonnes
Latvia
73 500 tonnes
Germany
20 000 tonnes
United Kingdom
10 000 tonnes
Portugal
6 000 tonnes
France
10 000 tonnes
Poland
10 000 tonnes
Category 10: Crab fishing
300 GT
Spain
300 GT
Category 11: Non-freezer pelagic vessels
15 000 GT per month, averaged over the year
2. Under the Protocol, unused category 11 fishing opportunities (non-freezer pelagic vessels) may be used by category 9 (pelagic freezer trawlers) at a rate of a maximum 25 licences per month.
3. If licence applications for category 9 (pelagic freezer trawlers) exceed the maximum permitted number per reference period, the Commission shall give priority to forwarding applications from vessels which made most use of licences in the ten months preceding that licence application.
4. For category 11 (non-freezer pelagic vessels), the Commission shall forward licence applications once it has received an annual fishing plan detailing applications by vessel (specifying the number of GT planned for each month of activity, for every month of the year) and sent to the Commission not later than 1 March of the year during which the fishing plan applies.
In the event of applications for more than 15 000 GT per month averaged over the year, the award shall be carried out on the basis of the table of applications and of the fishing plans referred to in the first subparagraph.
5. The management of fishing opportunities shall be conducted in full accordance with Article 20 of Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002 of 20 December 2002 on the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources under the Common Fisheries Policy (2).
If licence applications from these Member States do not cover all the fishing opportunities laid down by the Protocol, the Commission may take into consideration licence applications from any other Member State.
Article 3
The Member States whose vessels fish under the Partnership Agreement shall notify the Commission of the quantities of each stock caught within the Mauritanian fishing zone in accordance with Commission Regulation (EC) No 500/2001 of 14 March 2001 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 on the monitoring of catches taken by Community fishing vessels in third country waters and on the high seas (3).
Article 4
The President of the Council is hereby authorised to designate the person(s) empowered to sign the Partnership Agreement in order to bind the Community (4).
Article 5
This Regulation shall enter into force on the seventh day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 30 November 2006.