2005/26/EC: Council Decision of 25 October 2004 on the signing, on behalf of the European Community, of the Convention for the strengthening of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission established by the 1949 Convention between the United States of America and the Republic of Costa Rica (‘Antigua Convention’)
Date: 2004-10-25
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: Costa Rica, United States, accession to an agreement, conservation of fish stocks, fishery management, international convention, law of the sea, sea fish

19.1.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 15/9

COUNCIL DECISION

of 25 October 2004

on the signing, on behalf of the European Community, of the Convention for the strengthening of
the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission established by the 1949 Convention between the
United States of America and the Republic of Costa Rica (‘Antigua Convention’)

(2005/26/EC)

(6)

(7)

(8)

70th meeting of the IATTC, held from 24 to 27 June
2003 in Antigua, Guatemala.

The Antigua Convention was open for signature on 14
November 2003 in Washington DC, United States of
America, and will remain so until 31 December 2004,
in accordance with Article XXVII thereof.

The Antigua Convention is open for signature by the
Community in accordance with Article XXVII(1)(c)
thereof.

fishermen

Community
the Antigua
Convention Area. It is thus in the Community’s interest
to become a member of the IATTC. The Community
should therefore sign the Antigua Convention,

operate

in

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

The signing of the Convention for the strengthening of the
Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission established by the
1949 Convention between the United States of America and
the Republic of Costa Rica (‘Antigua Convention’)
is hereby
approved on behalf of the European Community, subject to
the Council Decision concerning the conclusion of the said
Convention.

The text of the Antigua Convention is attached to this Decision.

Article 2

The President of the Council is hereby authorised to designate
the person(s) empowered to sign the Antigua Convention on
behalf of the Community, subject to its conclusion.

Done at Luxembourg, 25 October 2004.

For the Council
The President

R. VERDONK

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

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

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

The European Community has exclusive competence to
adopt measures for the conservation and management of
fishery resources and to enter into agreements with other
countries and international organizations.

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
sea’s
cooperate
biological resources.

and managing

in conserving

the

The Community has signed and ratified on 19 December
2003 the Agreement on the implementation of
the
provisions of
the United Nations Convention on the
Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the
conservation and management of straddling fish stocks
and highly migratory fish stocks (1).

The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC)
was established by the Convention between the United
States of America and the Republic of Costa Rica,
concluded in 1949. During its 61st meeting in June
1998,
IATTC adopted a Resolution whereby
Contracting Parties agreed to draw a new Convention
to strengthen the IATTC and bring its statute up to
date,
the international
Law of the Sea.

in line with the provisions of

the

The Community was invited to fully participate in this
process since the beginning, and has played an active role
therein. The process culminated in the adoption of the
Convention for the strengthening of the Inter-American
Tropical Tuna Commission established by the 1949
Convention between the United States of America and
the Republic of Costa Rica (‘Antigua Convention’), at the

(1) OJ L 189, 3.7.1998, p. 17.