COUNCIL DECISION (EU) 2019/1563

of 16 September 2019

on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 43, in conjunction with Article 218(9) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

(1) The Union is a member of the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC), a regional fishery commission of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), established under Article VI (1) of the FAO Constitution.

(2) The Union is a member of the FAO.

(3) The WECAFC aims to promote the effective conservation, management and development of the living marine resources in its area of competence. Pursuant to point (h) of Article 6 of its revised statutes, the WECAFC provides advice on management measures (recommendations and resolutions). Because of its advisory status, the WECAFC's recommendations and resolutions are not binding on its members.

(4) As stated in the Joint communication by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the European Commission ‘International ocean governance: an agenda for the future of our oceans’, and the Council conclusions on that Joint communication, the promotion of measures to support and enhance the effectiveness of the Regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs) and, where relevant, improve their governance and strengthen cooperation in key ocean areas in order to fill regional governance gaps, is central to the Union's action in those fora.

(5) The Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, to the Council, to the European Economic and Social Committee and to the Committee of the Regions ‘A European strategy for plastics in a circular economy’, refers to specific measures to reduce plastics and marine pollution as well as the loss or abandonment at sea of fishing gear.

(6) It is appropriate to establish the position to be taken on the Union's behalf in the WECAFC for the period 2019-2023, as the WECAFC is called upon to adopt non-binding acts that are capable of decisively influencing the content of Union law. Most Council Decisions establishing the Union's position within RFMOs to which the Union is a member are due for revision before the 2024 annual meetings of those RFMOs. Therefore, to improve coherence among the Union's positions in all RFMOs and Regional Fishery Bodies (RFBs) and to streamline the revision process, this Decision should be revised before the session of the WECAFC in 2024.

(7) In view of the evolving nature of fishery resources in the WECAFC area and the consequent need for the position of the Union to take account of new developments, including new scientific and other relevant information presented before or during the sessions of the WECAFC, procedures should be established, in line with the principle of sincere cooperation among the Union institutions enshrined in Article 13(2) of the Treaty on European Union, for the year-to-year specification of the Union's position for the period 2019-2023,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1 The position to be taken on the Union's behalf in the sessions of the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC) is set out in Annex I.

Article 2 The year-to-year specification of the Union's position to be taken in the sessions of the WECAFC shall be conducted in accordance with Annex II.

Article 3 The Union's position set out in Annex I shall be assessed and, where appropriate, revised by the Council upon a proposal from the Commission, before the session of the WECAFC in 2024.

Article 4 This Decision shall enter into force on the day of its adoption.