ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(78)526
Vol.1978/0191

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(78)526final
Brussels,13October1978
PROPOSALFORACOUNCILREGULATION (EEC)
CONCERNING TEECONCLUSION BYTHEEUROPEAN "ECONOMIC
COMMUNITY OPTHECONVENTION ONFUTUREMOTILATERAL
COOPERATION INTHENORTHWEST ATLANTICFISHERIES
(Submitted "bytheCommissiontotheCouncil)
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COM(78)526final

l
Recommendation from theCemajieaion tothoCouncil concerning theconclusion
feytheEuropean Economic Community ofthaConvention onFuture JfeXtllatorai
Cooperation intheHorthweat Atlantic Fisheries *
1.On3November 1975 theCouncil agreed that intho future work ofinternational
'fishery organisations andinparticular ICMF ,NEAKJ ,andIGSSAF ,thoCommunity
andtheMember States would actinaocordonce with theproposals made bythe
Commission inthis regard ,including theproposal that theCommunity should
centime toparticipate ininternational cooperation forthoconservation and
management ofresources within such organisations , provided that thoappro­
priate amendments arcmade.io theprovisions governing their present method of
operation ,inorder :
~toonsuro thoparticipation ofthoCommunity assuch ,inaccordance with
thoprocedures laid down bytheTreaty forthoexercise ofitspowers and
inparticular those arising from thecommon fisheries policy ;
-tolimit and/oramend theresponsibilities oftheinternational organisation
inorder toensure that itisinconformity with and .compatible wi-th the
responsibilities entrusted tothecoastal state inrespect ofthemanagement
ofitsownresources *"(l)
2.With referenco tothefisheries ofNorthwest Atlantic area ,currently governed
bytheInternational Convention forthoNorthwest Atlantic Fisheries (ICTCA.F ), stati
theConnueeion hasparticipated inconsultations with representatives oftheMember /
from March 1977 toHay1979 ,inaseries ofinternational conferences convened
bytheCanadian government toprepare anewfishcriea Convention which would
establish afirm basis forthecontinuation ofmultilateral cooperation inthe
Northwest Atlantic Fisheries within afrareework specifically suited tothenew
regime ofextended coastaJ .state jurisdiction® Following aDiplomatic
Conference held inOttawa inOctober 1977 and asubsequent informal meeting
ofexports on1-2May 1978j theCanadian Government dooided inJuly 1978to
acek theapproval oftheparties totheDiplomatic Conference forthe .rt'ached
toxtof ananCoavontiorv intheEnglish and'French languages .Having received
anappropriate number ofapproval .?,thoCanadian authorities have nowdecided to
open theproposed Convention forsignature' atadate yet tobefixed attheend
ofOctober 19785 Itishoood that anearly opening forsignature will allow tir.;e
forasufficient number ofratifications orapprovals tobemade before 31December
fortheConvention tocome into force on1Ja>iuary 1979 .Meanwhile Member States
whioh areContracting Parties toICWJP 'mve given notios oftheir intention to
withdraw from theConvention <.31P^ceiabsr 1979 .
(1)p.21,DOCR/2227/76,(1 644)pCTJK 36)

■2
3«IntheviewoftheCommission,theproposedConvention ,whiohestablishes anew
international fisheriesorganisation replacingICNAF,tobeknownaatheNorth­
westAtlanticFisheriesOrganisation (NAFO),meetsthatwoprincipalobjectives
whiohweresetbytheCouncilinitsnegotiatingdirectivestotheCommiesion.
Ontheonehand,theCommunityisentitledtobeaContractingPartytothe
ConventionasoneofthepartiesrepresentedattheDiplomaticConferenceheld
inOttawainOctober1977(seeArticleXXIl);ontheotherhand,theareain
whichtheFisheriesCommissionestablished undertheConventionwillexercise
responsibility forthemanagementoffisheryresources(the..so-called"Regulatory
Area")isconfinedtothatpartoftheConventionAreawhichliesbeyondthe
areasinwhichcoastalstatesexercisefisheriesjurisdiction (Artiolel)«
4aInthecourseofthesenegotiations theCommunitycouldnotagreewiththe
majorityofotherdelegations ononesubstantialissue,namely,theprocedure
fortheallocationofcatchesinwatersbeyondnationalfisheriesjurisdiction
offtheGrandBanksandFlemishCap(ArtioleXIfparagraph4a)®Inthe
Community'sviewthespecialconsideration giventothecoastalcommunitiesof
aparticularcoastalstateinthistextmightconceivablyprejudicethe
Community'spositionontherightsofthecoastalstateinthecontextof
discussions onthelawofthesea®Inordertoalleviatethisconcern,the
CommissionsoughtformalassurancesfromtheCanadianauthoritiesinJulythat
acceptanceofthistextdidnotaffectorprejudicetheviewsandpositionsof
CanadaoroftheESCoritsMemberStateswithrespecttothelawofthesea
andthatitshouldnotbeinvokedasaprecedentinothercasesconcerning
theconservation andutilisation ofresourcesofthesea«TheCanadianautho­
ritiesconfirmedthisunderstanding on9August1978®(SaaExchangeofNotes
inAnnexl)»
5.Inthelightofthisunderstanding ,andin;ord&rtoassuretheCommunity's
effectiveparticipation infuturemultilateral cooperation onfisheriesin
theNorthwestAtlantic,theCommissionrec9mmendsthattheCouncilapprovethe
draftConvention ,andsetinmotiontheprocedureforsignatureandconclusion
oftheConventionbytheCommunity ,thatis:
-that,atitsnextsession,theCouncil
cdecidetoproceed v&rtfcjecttoconclusion ,tosignatureoftheConvention
aauthorizeitsPresidenttodesignatethepersonsempoweredtosignthe
Convention
••/•••

thattheCounciltakesteps,inconformitywithitsnormalpractice,to
consulttheEuropeanParliament ;
thattheCouncilproceed,attheappropriatetime,totheadoptionofthe
draftregulation(attachedinAnnexII)approvingtheConvention *

ΑΝΤΓΚΧΙ
COMMISSION '„''"':gpjH£ Brussels
EUROPEANCOMMUNITIES
Directorate-General forFisheries
000722NOTEVERBALE
TheDirectorate GeneralforFisheriesoftheCommissionoftheEuropean
CommunitiespresentsitscomplimentstotheMissionofCanadatotheEuropean
Communities andhasthehonourtorefertotheMission'sNoteVerbalen°2725
of14July1978bywhichtheMissiontransmittedthetextoftheproposed
convention onFutureMultilateral Cooperation inNorthwestAtlanticFisheries.
Itwillberecalledthattherepresentative oftheEuropeanEconomic ■*.
CommunityattheinformalmeetinginOttawawhichpreparedthis.draftreserved
thepositionoftheCommunityinregardtoArticleXI,paragraph4ofthistext
•Aftercarefulconsideration theEuropeanEconomicCommunityhasnow
decided/inaspiritofcompromiseandwithaviewtosafeguarding future
multilateral andbilateralcooperation onfisheriesIntheNorthwestAtlantic,
toagreethattheconventionbeopenedforsignatureonbasisofth<^text.
established bythesaidmeeting.Thisagreementextendstothetwocorrections
referredtointheMission'sNpteVerbale.TheCommunity'sagreementisoased-
ontheunderstanding thatinaccordancewithArticleI,paragraph 5,the-
acceptancecfArticleXI,paragraph4,innowayaffectsorprejudicesthe
viewsandpositionsofCanadaorofth$EECoritsMemberStateswithrespect
totheLawoftheSeaandthatitshallnotbeinvokedasaprecedentinother
casesconcerningtheconservation andutilization ofresourcesofthesea.
.... .
MissionofCanadatothe
EuropeanCommunities
t * ..;
RuedeLoxum6
1000BRUXELLES
adem*WwMMltL»200.1-10*1ImaM- 7350040/»3SDO«O-Tm.ru>*
•7t|7TCOM (jft'-COMly*-

TheDirectorate Generalwouldbegrateful1ftheMissionwouldconfirm
thattheCanadianauthorities sharetheviewexpressedaboveInrelationto
ArticleXI/paragraph 4.
TheDirectorate Generalavailsitselfofthisopportunitytorenewto
theMissionofCanadatotheEuropeanCommunitiestheassuranceofitshighest
consideration .