Proposal for a Council Regulation on the conclusion of the Protocol establishing, for the period 1 January 1996 to 31 December 1997, the fishing rights and financial compensation provided for in the Agreement between the European Community and the Government of the Republic of Guinea on fishing off the Guinean coast (96/C 165/09) COM(96) 111 final - 96/0084(CNS)

(Submitted by the Commission on 21 March 1996)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 43, in conjunction with Article 228 (2) and (3) first subparagraph thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament,

Whereas pursuant to the Agreement between the European Community and the Government of the Republic of Guinea on fishing off the Guinean coast (1), the two parties conducted negotiations to determine the amendments or additions to be made to the Agreement at the end of the period of application of the Protocol annexed to the Agreement;

Whereas, as a result of these negotiations, a new Protocol establishing, for the period 1 January 1996 to 31 December 1997, the fishing rights and financial compensation provided for in the abovementioned Agreement was initialled on 6 December 1995;

Whereas it is in the Community's interest to approve the new Protocol,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The Protocol establishing, for the period 1 January 1996 to 31 December 1997, the fishing rights and financial compensation provided for in the Agreement between the European Community and the Government of the Republic of Guinea on fishing off the Guinean coast is hereby approved on behalf of the Community.

The text of the Protocol is attached to this Regulation.

Article 2

The President of the Council is hereby authorized to designate the persons empowered to sign the Protocol in order to bind the Community.

Article 3

This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

(1) OJ No L 111, 27. 4. 1983, p. 1.

PROTOCOL establishing, for the period from 1 January 1996 to 31 December 1997, the fishing rights and financial compensation provided for in the Agreement between the European Community and the Government of the Republic of Guinea on fishing off the Guinean coast

Article 1

For a period of two years from 1 January 1996, the fishing rights granted under Article 2 of the Agreement shall be as follows:

1. trawlers (fin-fish, cephalopods and shrimp): 5 000 grt a month, annual average;

2. freezer tuna seiners: 28 vessels;

3. pole-and-line tuna vessels: 7 vessels;

4. surface longliners: 7 vessels.

Article 2

1. The financial compensation referred to in Article 8 of the Agreement shall be, for the period referred to in Article 1, ECU 2 450 000, payable in two annual instalments of ECU 1 150 000 and ECU 1 300 000 respectively.

2. The use to which this compensation is put shall be the sole responsibility of the Government of the Republic of Guinea.

3. The compensation shall be paid into an account opened with a financial institution or any other body designated by the Government of the Republic of Guinea.

Article 3

At the request of the Community, the fishing rights referred to in point 1 of Article 1 may be increased by successive instalments of 1 000 grt a month, calculated on an annual average basis. In this case, the financial compensation referred to in Article 2 shall be increased proportionately.

Article 4

The Community shall also contribute during the period referred to in Article 1 the sum of ECU 400 000 towards the financing of a Guinean scientific or technical programme to improve information on the fishery resources within the exclusive economic zone of Guinea.

This sum shall be made available to the Government of the Republic of Guinea and paid into the account indicated by the Guinean authorities.

Article 5

The two parties agree that improving the skills and knowledge of those involved in sea-fishing is a vital element in the success of their cooperation. To that end, the Community shall make it easier for nationals of Guinea to find places in establishments in its Member States and shall provide for that purpose awards for study and practical training in the various scientific, technical and economic disciplines relating to fisheries. The awards may also be used in any country linked with the Community by a Cooperation Agreement. The total cost of the awards may not exceed ECU 250 000. At the request of the Guinean authorities, part of this sum may be used to cover the costs of participation in international meetings or training courses concerning fisheries or for the organization of seminars on fishing in Guinea. The sum shall be payable as and when it is used.

A proportion of the funds provided for in this Article, which shall not exceed ECU 100 000, may be used to pay Guinea's contributions to international fisheries organizations.

Article 6

The Community shall also contribute to the financing of programmes as follows:

- ECU 350 000 in aid for fisheries surveillance bodies,

- ECU 300 000 in institutional aid for the Fisheries Ministry,

- ECU 250 000 in aid for non-industrial fishing.

These funds shall be made available to the bodies concerned. The Ministry shall communicate the bank accounts to which payment is to be made.

Article 7

Should the Community fail to make the payments provided for in Articles 2 and 4, the application of this Protocol may be suspended.

Article 8

The Annex to the Agreement between the European Community and the Government of the Republic of Guinea on fishing off the Guinean coast is hereby repealed and replaced by the Annex to this Protocol.

Article 9

This Protocol shall enter into force on the date on which it is signed. It shall be applicable from 1 January 1996.

ANNEX

CONDITIONS FOR THE EXERCISE OF FISHING ACTIVITIES BY COMMUNITY VESSELS IN GUINEA'S FISHING ZONE

A. Licence application and issuing formalities

The relevant Community authorities shall present to the Fisheries Ministry via the Delegation of the Commission of the European Communities in Guinea, an application for each vessel that is to be used for fishing under the Agreement, at least 30 days before the date of commencement of the period of validity requested.

The applications shall be made on the forms provided for that purpose by the Fisheries Ministry, a specimen of which is attached hereto (Appendix 1).

Each licence application shall be accompanied by proof of payment of the fee for the period of the licence's validity. Payment shall be made into the account opened with the Public Treasury of Guinea.

The fees shall include all national and local charges except for port taxes and service costs.

Licences for all vessels shall be issued by the Fisheries Ministry within 30 days following receipt of proof of payment as laid down above to the shipowners or their representatives via the Delegation of the Commission of the European Communities in Guinea.

Licences shall be issued for a specific vessel and shall not be transferable. However, where force majeure is proven and at the request of the European Community, a vessel's licence shall be replaced by a new licence for another vessel whose features are similar to those of the first vessel. The owner of the first vessel shall return the cancelled licence to the Fisheries Ministry via the Delegation of the Commission of the European Communities.

The new licence shall indicate:

- the date of issue,

- the validity of the new licence, covering the period from the date of arrival of the replacement vessel to the date of expiry of the licence of the replaced vessel.

In this case, no fee as laid down in the second subparagraph of Article 5 of the Agreement shall be due for unexpired periods of validity.

The licence must be held on board at all times.

I. Provisions applicable to trawlers

1. Each vessel shall be obliged to report to the port of Conakry once a year, prior to the issue of the licence, to undergo the inspection laid down by the rules and regulations currently in force. Inspections shall be carried out exclusively by duly authorized persons and must be effected within 24 working hours of arrival of the vessel in port if arrival has been announced at least 48 hours in advance. If the licence is renewed during the same calendar year the vessel shall be exempt from further inspection.

2. Each vessel must be represented by an agent of Guinean nationality, established in Guinea.

3. (a) Licences shall be issued for periods of 3, 6 and 12 months and be renewable.

(b) The fees to be paid by shipowners, expressed in ECU/gross registered tonne, shall be as follows.

- For annual licences:

ECU 126 for fin-fish trawlers,

ECU 150 for cephalopod trawlers,

ECU 152 for shrimp trawlers.

- For six-month licences:

ECU 65 for fin-fish trawlers,

ECU 77 for cephalopod trawlers,

ECU 78 for shrimp trawlers.

- For three-month licences:

ECU 33 for fin-fish trawlers,

ECU 39 for cephalopod trawlers,

ECU 40 for shrimp trawlers.

However, vessels failing to land 200 kg of fish, per grt per year, in accordance with the provisions of part C shall be obliged to pay an additional fee of ECU 10 per grt, per year.

II. Provisions applicable to tuna vessels and surface longliners

(a) The annual fees shall be ECU 20 per tonne caught within Guinea's fishing zone.

(b) Licences shall be issued following payment to the Fisheries Ministry of a lump sum of ECU 1 500 a year for each tuna seiner and ECU 300 a year for each pole-and-line tuna vessel and surface longliner, equivalent to the fees for:

- 75 tonnes of tuna caught per year in the case of seiners,

- 15 tonnes caught per year in the case of pole-and-line tuna vessels and surface longliners.

The final statement of the fees due for the fishing period shall be drawn up by the European Commission the end of each calendar year on the basis of the catch statements made for each vessel and confirmed by the scientific institutes competent to verify catch data, such as the French Office of Overseas Scientific and Technical Research (Orstom) and the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO). The statement shall be forwarded to the Fisheries Ministry and to the shipowners at the same time. Any additional payment due shall be made by the shipowners to the Fisheries Ministry no later than 30 days after notification of the final statement, to be paid into the account opened with the Public Treasury of Guinea.

However, if the amount of the final statement is lower than the abovementioned amount, the resulting balance shall not be reimbursable.

B. Statement of catch

For all Community vessels authorized to fish in Guinea's waters under the Agreement a statement of their catch must be provided to the Fisheries Ministry, with a copy to the Delegation of the Commission of the European Commmunities in Guinea, in accordance with the procedures set out below:

- for trawlers: a statement shall be made out according to the specimen annexed hereto (Appendix 2). The statements shall be drawn up each month and presented at least once each quarter,

- for tuna seiners, pole-and-line tuna vessels and surface longliners: a fishing log shall be kept, in accordance with Appendix 3, for each fishing period spent in Guinea's fishing zone. The form must be sent, within 45 days of the end of the fishing voyage spent in the Guinean fishing zone, to the Fisheries Ministry via the Delegation of the Commission of the European Communities in Guinea.

Forms must be completed legibly and be signed by the master of the vessel.

Should this provision not be adhered to, the Fisheries Ministry reserves the right to suspend the licence of the offending vessel until the formality has been complied with. In this case, the Delegation of the Commission of the European Communities in Guinea shall be informed.

C. Landing of catch

Trawlers authorized to fish in the Guinea fishing zone shall, in order to make a contribution towards supplying the local population with fish caught in the Guinea fishing zone, be obliged to land 200 kg of fish per grt, per year free of charge.

Landings may be made individually or collectively, mention being made of the vessels concerned.

D. By-catch

1. Fin-fish trawlers may not hold on board species other than fish representing more than 15 % of their total catch in the Guinea fishing zone.

Cephalopod trawlers may not hold on board crustaceans representing more than 20 % or fish representing more than 30 % of their total catch in the Guinea fishing zone.

Shrimp trawlers may not hold on board cephalopods representing more than 25 % or fish representing more than 50 % of their total catch in the Guinea fishing zone.

A maximum tolerance of 5 % of these percentages shall be authorized.

These limits shall be indicated on the licence.

2. Pole-and-line tuna vessels shall, moreover, be authorized to fish for live bait in order to carry out their fishing activities in the Guinea fishing zone.

E. Signing-on of seamen

Owners who have been issued fishing lincences under the Agreement shall contribute to the on-the-job vocational training of Guinea nationals, subject to the conditions and limits set out below:

1. Each trawler owner shall undertake to employ:

- three Guinean seamen on vessels of up to 350 grt,

- a number of Guinean seamen equivalent to 25 % of the number of seamen/fishermen signed on for vessels with a tonnage greater than 350 grt.

2. For the fleet of tuna seiners, three Guinean seamen shall be signed on permanently.

3. For the fleet of pole-and-line tuna vessels, three Guinea seamen shall be signed on for the tuna-fishing season in the Guinean fishing zone, all of them to be assigned to different vessels.

4. For the fleet of surface longliners, the shipowners undertake to employ two Guinean seamen per vessel during the fishing season in Guinean waters.

5. The wages of these Guinean seamen shall be fixed, before licences are issued, by mutual agreement between the shipowners or their representatives and the Fisheries Ministry: the wages shall be borne by the shipowners and must include the social contributions to which the seaman is subject (including life assurance and accident and sickness insurance).

Should the seamen not be signed on, owners of tuna seiners, pole-and-line tuna vessels and surface longliners shall be obliged to pay the Fisheries Ministry a lump sum equivalent to the wages of seamen not signed on in accordance with the provisions of points 2, 3 and 4.

This sum will be used for the training of seamen/fishermen in Guinea and is to be paid into an account specified by the Fisheries Ministry.

F. Observers

1. The observers' task shall be to check on fishing activities in the Guinean fishing zone and collect all statistical data on the fishing activities of the vessel concerned. They shall be offered every facility needed to carry out their duties, including access to premises and documents and weekly radio communication of fishing data.

2. Each trawler shall take on board an observer appointed by the Fisheries Ministry.

In the case of trawlers of less than 200 grt, however, a fisherman designated by the Fisheries Ministry shall act as observer, in which case the master of the vessel shall facilitate the work of this seaman outside the actual fishing operations.

Observers shall not normally remain on board for more than two trips.

3. Tuna vessels and surface longliners shall take an observer on board at the request of the Fisheries Ministry. He must not remain on board any longer than is necessary for the accomplishment of his duties.

The master of the vessel shall facilitate the work of the observer, who shall be accorded the conditions enjoyed by officers of the vessel.

Should observers be taken on board in foreign ports, their travelling costs shall be borne by the shipowner.

4. The pay and social insurance contributions of observers shall be borne by the Fisheries Ministry.

In the case of trawlers, shipowners shall pay to the Centre national de surveillance de pêches (CNSP) ECU 10 for each day spent on board by an observer as a contribution to the expenses arising from their presence on board.

5. Should a vessel with an observer on board leave the Guinean fishing zone, all measures must be taken to ensure the observer's return to Conakry as soon as possible at the expense of the shipowner.

G. Inspection and monitoring

Any Community vessel fishing in Guinea's zone shall allow on board any official of Guinea responsible for inspection and monitoring and shall assist him in the accomplishment of his duties. This official must not remain on board any longer than is necessary for the verification of catches by random checks and for any other inspection relating to fishing activities.

H. Fishing zones

All the vessels referred to in Article 1 of the Protocol shall be authorized to fish in waters beyond 10 nautical miles.

I. Minimum meshes authorized

The minimum mesh size authorized for the trawl body (mesh fully extended) shall be:

(a) 40 mm for shrimps;

(b) 50 mm for cephalopods;

(c) 60 mm for fin-fish.

These minimum sizes may be altered to conform to the standardization of the Member States of the Subregional Fisheries Commission. Any such alterations shall be examined in the Joint Committee.

Fishing with outriggers shall be authorized.

J. Entering and leaving the zone

All Community vessels fishing under the Agreement in the Guinean zone shall communicate to the radio station of the CNSP the date and time, and their position when entering and leaving the Guinea fishing zone.

The call sign and operating frequencies and times of the station shall be communicated to the shipowners by the CNSP at the time the licence is issued.

In cases where this radio communication cannot be used, vessels may use alternative means, such as fax (CNSP: 1 212 4794 885, the Fisheries Ministry: 224 41 35 23).

K. Boarding of vessels

1. The Delegation of the Commission of the European Communities in Guinea shall be notified within 48 hours of any boarding within the Guinean exclusive economic zone of a fishing vessel flying the flag of a Member State of the Community and operating under an Agreement concluded between the Community and a third country and shall at the same time receive a brief report of the circumstances and reasons leading to the boarding.

2. In the case of vessels authorized to fish in Guinean waters, before any measures regarding the master or the crew of the vessel or any action regarding the cargo and equipment of the vessel are considered, other than those to safeguard evidence relating to the presumed infringement, a consultation meeting shall be held, within 48 hours of receipt of the abovementioned information, between the Delegation of the Commmission of the European Communities, the Fisheries Ministry and the inspection authorities, possibly attended by a representative of the Member State concerned.

At the meeting, the parties shall exchange any relevant documentation or information, in particular automatically registered data showing the vessel's positions during the trip, up to the time of boarding, helping to clarify the circumstances of the established facts.

The shipowner or his representative shall be imformed of the outcome of the meeting and of any measures resulting from the boarding.

3. Before any judicial procedure, an attempt shall be made to resolve the presumed infringement through a compromise procedure. This procedure shall end no later than three working days after the boarding.

4. Should the case not be settled by means of compromise, and therefore be brought before a competent judicial body, a bank security shall be fixed by the relevant authority within 48 hours following the conclusion of the compromise procedure, pending the judicial decision. The amount of the security must not exceed the amount of the penalty laid down under national legislation for the presumed infringement in question. The bank security shall be returned to the shipowner by the relevant authority once the case is settled without incrimination of the master of the vessel concerned.

5. The vessel and its crew shall be released either:

- at the end of the consultation meeting, if the established facts permit, or

- once the obligations arising under the compromise have been fulfilled, or

- once a bank security is deposited (judicial procedure).

Appendix 1

APPLICATION FORM FOR A FISHING LICENCE

>START OF GRAPHIC>

>END OF GRAPHIC>

Appendix 2

>START OF GRAPHIC>

>END OF GRAPHIC>

Appendix 3

ICCAT LOGBOOK for TUNA FISHERY

>START OF GRAPHIC>

>END OF GRAPHIC>