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COM (83) 593 
 
 
 
Vol. 1983/0 222 
  
 
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concernant l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique 
européenne et de la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983, 
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In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 
concerning the openi ng to the public of the historical archives of the European Econom ic 
Community and the European Atomic Energy Communit y (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as 
amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1700/2003 of 22 September 2003 (OJ L 243, 
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file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation.  
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom  1. 
Februar 198 3 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen  
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und der Europäischen Atomgem einschaft (ABI. L 43 vom  15.2.1983,  
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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(85) 595
Brussels, 6final (orig. Fr) 
October 1983.
STATUS OF GREENLAND
(Commission Communication to the Council)
COM(83) 593 final.

Communication of the Commission to the Council
Status of Greenland
I. 1 During Council discussions following receipt of the Commission's
opinion on the change in the status of Greenland^, in particular  
at the Council meeting of 19 September, the Commission was  
asked to submit detailed practical proposals on the solutions to  
be adopted in the fisheries sector.
1.2. The Commission feels that the aim of this communication is to  
help reconcile the positions of the delegations and give the  
Council a full explanation of the implications of the options  
chosen; it represents a balanced solution which takes into  
account the interests of the Community and of Greenland.
II. It is also worth giving a fuller explanation of the position adopted  
by the Commission in its opinion as regards the financial aid to
be granted to Greenland under the future arrangements.
III.1 As regards fisheries,although the Commission was in its opinion
in favour of granting OCT^status to Greenland, it also proposed that  
specific provisions be made for fisheries s.ince this issue could not  
be regulated on the basis of the Treaty articles governing OdT status.
2 For this purpose, the draft amendment to the Treaties attached to  
(2)thfe opinion. accordingly contains a protocol on special arrangements  
for Greenland. Article 1  provides^for the .conclusion of an agreement  
between the Community and the authority competent for Greenland to  
determine
(1) COM(83y 64 final, 22 February 1983.
(2) Annex C.

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conditions of access to Greenland waters for Community fishermen.
Article 1 at,so states that imports of fishery products, including 
processed products, originating in and coming,from Greenland should 
tie freely admitted to Community territory if the possibilities of. 
access to Greenland waters "are satisfactory to the Community". This 
goes beyond the principles of the OCT system, which merely provides 
for preferential treatment of products from an overseas country or 
territory as compared with third countries.
3 This communication supplements the Commission opinion by defining 
the contents of a fisheries agreement to be concluded between the 
Community, and the authority competent for Greenland.
3.1 The agreement could be based on the following principles:
l
A) After consulting the Community, the .Greenland authorities should 
set annual TACs on the basis of scientific data (taking into 
account the requirements and the actual possibilities for de­
veloping the fishing activities of the Greenland population and 
the Community’s traditional fishing interests) and establish 
fishing conditions with no discrimination between Greenland and 
other fishermen.
8) The agreement should set annual quotas for Greenland and the
Community, reflecting the above mentioned interests of Greenland 
and the Community (including those of third countries which have 
signed international agreements with the Community on access to 
Greenland waters), and particularly reflecting the aim of main­
taining Community fishing activities in Greenland waters, on which 
the balance of the common fisheries policy depends, in each of the 
three following cases :

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- unchanged TACs,
- increased TACs,
- reduced TACs.
a) First of all, reference bases should be determinedin a way which  
Will allow the Community's fishing activities to be maintained  
at the current level for each of the species in question.
The reference bases considered by the Commission are the Dossi-  
bilities actually open to the Community under the Decision of  
25 January 1983. For west Greenland cod, this represents  
a total quantity of 75.000 tonnes - 62.000 tonnes for Green­
land fishermen and 13.000 tonnes for other Community fishermen.
b) As regards consideration of the annual trend in TACs for  
each species during the term of the agreement :
- If TACs are unchanged.  it is proposed that the ratio of allo­
cations to the Community and Greenland should also remain  
unchanged.
- If TACs increase, the share of the increase to be allocated  
to each of the two parties will have to be determined.
i
The solution proposed by the Commission is to allow Greenland a  
fixed proportion of the increase (which will be increased over  
the years) and share the remainder between Greenland and the  
Community in accordance with a percentage scale to be determined.
Also it would be provided that if Greenland's actual  
fishing Rapacity was insufficient to exhaust its quotas thus  
laid down, the Community should be entitled to benefit.

-  4 -
- If TACs fall, the basic principle is that the reduction is 
bcrne by the two parties, but a priority would be recognized 
for Greenland's vital requirements.
c) Appropriate measures will be provided for salmon.
4 As regards' the duration c - f the agreement, the Commission considers 
that tie arrangements governing access to Greenland waters should 
bj laid down at least for the medium term.
A five-year period is proposed; this corresponds to the schedule 
of decisions implementing the OCT arrangements.
However, since OCT status would be granted on a permanent basis, 
although coupled with flexible measures concerning the access of 
Greenland fishery products to the Community market, it must be made 
clear that Greenland is prepared to undertake to maintain relations 
with the Community as regards access to its fishing zones in the 
longer term. The most appropriate solution would therefore appear 
to be to conclude an agreement which would be renewed by tacit agreement 
at the end of each five-year period^together with'a legal or poli­
tical commitment along these lines (in parallel with the OCT so­
lution) .
IV. As regards the section on financial aid, the Commission limited itself 
in its opinion to saying that it would be equivalent to an amount to be de­
termined over and above the total amount granted to OCTs under the 
current rules.
It should be explained at this stage that the measures for granting 
OCT status to Greenland would normally consist of including this ad­
ditional amount in the EOF and ensuring that the aid was managed in 
accordance with EDF procedures.
However, if Greenland were not granted OCT status or if recourse is
not accepted to the EDF, the establishment of a specific
budget line would have to be considered as the Commission cannot
favour the creation of new financial instruments outside the budget.
i