2002/738/EC: Council Decision of 22 July 2002 on the conclusion by the European Community of the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Fishery Resources in the South-East Atlantic Ocean
Date: 2002-07-22
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: Atlantic Ocean, UN convention, agreement (EU), conservation of resources, fishery resources, international convention, management of resources

31.8.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 234/39

II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COUNCIL

COUNCIL DECISION

of 22 July 2002

on the conclusion by the European Community of the Convention on the Conservation and
Management of Fishery Resources in the South-East Atlantic Ocean

(2002/738/EC)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Commu-
nity, and in particular Article 37 in conjunction with the first
sentence of the first subparagraph of Article 300(2) and the first
subparagraph of Article 300(3) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1),

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (2),

on 20 April 2001, in accordance with the Council deci-
sion to this end (4).

(5)

Community fishermen operate in the Convention area. It
is thus in the Community’s interest to become a full
member of the regional fisheries organisation to be set
up under this Convention. The Community should there-
fore approve the Convention,

Whereas:

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

The Community is competent to adopt measures for the
conservation and management of fishery resources and
to enter into agreements with other countries and inter-
national organisations.

The Community is a contracting party to the United
Nations Convention on the Law of
the Sea, which
requires all members of the international community to
cooperate in conserving and managing the sea’s biolo-
gical resources.

the provisions of

The Community has signed the Agreement on the imple-
mentation of
the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982
relating to the Conservation and Management of Strad-
dling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (3)
but it has yet to complete the ratification process.

The Community has taken an active part in the process,
initiated in 1997, of drawing up a Convention on the
Conservation and Management of Fishery Resources in
the South-East Atlantic Ocean, together with the coastal
States and other interested parties. It signed this Conven-
tion at the diplomatic conference in Windhoek, Namibia,

Article 1

The Convention on the Conservation and Management of
Fishery Resources in the South-East Atlantic Ocean is hereby
approved on behalf of the European Community.

The text of the Convention is attached to this Decision.

Article 2

The President of the Council is hereby authorised to designate
the persons empowered to deposit the instrument of approval
with the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organi-
sation of the United Nations in accordance with Article 25(2)
of the Convention.

Done at Brussels, 22 July 2002.

For the Council

The President

P. S. MØLLER

(1) OJ C 75 E, 26.3.2002, p. 113.
(2) Opinion delivered on 4 July 2002 (not yet published in the Official

Journal).

(3) OJ L 189, 3.7.1998, p. 14.

(4) OJ L 111, 20.4.2001, p. 15.