2004/305/EC: Council Decision of 22 March 2004 on the conclusion of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters concerning the provisional application of the Protocol defining for the period 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2008 the fishing opportunities and the financial contribution provided for in the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Guinea on fishing off the Guinean coast
Date: 2004-03-22
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: Guinea, agreement (EU), financial equalisation, fishing agreement, fishing rights

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 99/9

II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COUNCIL

COUNCIL DECISION

of 22 March 2004

on the conclusion of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters concerning the provi-
sional application of the Protocol defining for the period 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2008 the
fishing opportunities and the financial contribution provided for in the Agreement between the
European Economic Community and the Republic of Guinea on fishing off the Guinean coast

(2004/305/EC)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Com-
munity, and in particular Article 37 in conjunction with Article
300(2) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

(5)

(6)

The method of allocating the fishing opportunities
among the Member States should be defined on the
basis of the traditional allocation of fishing opportunities
under the Fisheries Agreement.

The Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters
should be approved, subject to its definitive conclusion
by the Council,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Pursuant to the second paragraph of Article 15 of the
Agreement between the European Economic Community
and the Republic of Guinea on fishing off the Guinean
coast (1), the two Parties conducted negotiations to deter-
mine any amendments or additions to be made to the
Agreement at the end of the period of application of the
Protocol annexed thereto.

At the end of those negotiations, a new Protocol was
initialled on 27 June 2003.

The Protocol offers Community fishermen fishing oppor-
tunities in the waters under the sovereignty or juris-
diction of Guinea for the period 1 January 2004 to 31
December 2008.

In order to guarantee the continuity of fishing activities
by Community vessels,
the new Protocol should be
approved as soon as possible. To this end, the two
parties have initialled an Agreement in the form of an
Exchange of Letters concerning the provisional applica-
tion of the initialled Protocol as from 1 January 2004.

(1) OJ L 111, 27.4.1983, p. 1.

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

The Agreement
in the form of an Exchange of Letters
concerning the provisional application of the Protocol defining,
for the period 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2008, the
fishing opportunities and the financial contribution provided
for by the Agreement between the European Economic Com-
munity and the Republic of Guinea on fishing off the Guinean
coast is hereby approved on behalf of the Community.

The text of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of
Letters is attached to this Decision.

Article 2

The fishing opportunities provided for in the Protocol for

1.
2004 shall be allocated among the Member States as follows:

(a) finfish/cephalopods:

— Spain: 844 gross registered tonnes (GRT)

— Italy: 750 gross registered tonnes (GRT)

— Greece: 906 gross registered tonnes (GRT);

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Official Journal of the European Union

3.4.2004

(b) shrimp fishing:

— Spain: 1 050 gross registered tonnes (GRT)
— Portugal: 300 gross registered tonnes (GRT)
— Greece: 150 gross registered tonnes (GRT);

(c) tuna seiners:

— France: 17 vessels
— Spain: 17 vessels;

(d) pole-and-line tuna vessels:
— France: 7 vessels
— Spain: 7 vessels;

(e) surface longliners:
— Spain: 8
— Portugal: 1.

If licence applications from these Member States do not
2.
cover all the fishing opportunities laid down by the Protocol,
the Commission may take into consideration licence applica-
tions from any other Member State.

Article 3

The President of the Council is hereby authorised to designate
the person(s) empowered to sign the Agreement in the form of
an Exchange of Letters in order to bind the Community.

Done at Brussels, 22 March 2004.

For the Council

The President

J. WALSH