Council Regulation (EC) No 919/2005 of 13 June 2005 amending Regulation (EC) No 827/2004 as regards the prohibition of imports of Atlantic bigeye tuna from Cambodia, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 826/2004 prohibiting imports of blue-fin tuna from Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone and Regulation (EC) No 828/2004 prohibiting imports of swordfish from Sierra Leone
Date: 2005-06-13
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: Cambodia, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, import policy, sea fish

18.6.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 156/1

I

(Acts whose publication is obligatory)

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 919/2005

of 13 June 2005

amending Regulation (EC) No 827/2004 as regards the prohibition of imports of Atlantic bigeye
tuna from Cambodia, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone, and repealing Regulation (EC)
No 826/2004 prohibiting imports of blue-fin tuna from Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone and
Regulation (EC) No 828/2004 prohibiting imports of swordfish from Sierra Leone

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty
Community, and in particular Article 133 thereof,

establishing the European

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

The Community has been a Contracting Party to the
the Conservation of
International Convention for
Atlantic Tunas signed in Rio de Janeiro on 14 May
1966, as amended by the Protocol annexed to the
Final Act of the Conference of Plenipotentiaries of the
States Parties to the Convention signed at Paris on
since 14
10 July 1984 (the
November 1997,
following the adoption of Council
Decision 86/238/EEC (1).

ICCAT Convention)

in

cooperation

conservation

the
tuna and tuna-like species

ICCAT Convention provides a framework for
The
and
regional
management of
in the
Atlantic Ocean and its adjacent seas through the estab-
lishment of an International Commission for the Conser-
vation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and the adoption by
the latter of conservation and management measures
which become binding on the contracting parties.

In 1998, ICCAT adopted resolution 98-18 concerning
the unreported and unregulated catches of
tuna by
large-scale longline vessels in the Convention area. That
resolution established procedures for the identification of
countries whose vessels had fished for tuna and tuna-like
species in a manner which diminished the effectiveness
of
It
ICCAT conservation and management measures.
including if
also specified measures
necessary non-discriminatory trade restrictive measures,
in order
from
those
to prevent
continuing such fishing practices.

countries’ vessels

to be

taken,

(1) OJ L 162, 18.6.1986, p. 33.

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

tuna

Since the adoption of resolution 98-18, ICCAT has iden-
tified Bolivia, Cambodia, Equatorial Guinea, Georgia and
Sierra Leone as countries whose vessels fish Atlantic
in a manner which
bigeye
obesus)
diminishes
its conservation and
the effectiveness of
management measures, substantiating its findings with
trade and the activities of
data concerning catches,
vessels.

(Thunnus

ICCAT has also identified Equatorial Guinea and Sierra
Leone as countries whose vessels fish Atlantic blue-fin
in a manner which diminishes
tuna (Thunnus thynnus)
the effectiveness of
its conservation and management
measures.

ICCAT has furthermore identified Sierra Leone as country
whose vessels fish Atlantic swordfish (Xiphias gladius) in a
manner which diminishes the effectiveness of its conser-
vation and management measures.

Imports of Atlantic bigeye tuna originating in Bolivia,
Cambodia, Equatorial Guinea, Georgia and Sierra Leone
are
by Regulation (EC) No
currently
827/2004 (2).

prohibited

Imports of Atlantic blue-fin tuna originating in Equatorial
Guinea and Sierra Leone are currently prohibited by
Regulation (EC) No 826/2004 (3).

Imports of Atlantic swordfish originating in Sierra Leone
are
by Regulation (EC) No
currently
828/2004 (4).

prohibited

(10) At

its

14th

Special Meeting

ICCAT
acknowledged the efforts made by Cambodia, Equatorial
Guinea and Sierra Leone to address its concerns and
trade-
lifting of
adopted recommendations
restrictive measures against those three countries.

2004,

the

for

in

(2) OJ L 127, 29.4.2004, p. 21.
(3) OJ L 127, 29.4.2004, p. 19.
(4) OJ L 127, 29.4.2004, p. 23.

L 156/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

18.6.2005

(11)

(12)

Regulation (EC) No 827/2004 should therefore be
amended accordingly.

2. In Article 3 ‘Bolivia, Georgia and Sierra Leone’ shall be

replaced by ‘Bolivia and Georgia’.

Regulations (EC) No 826/2004 and (EC) No 828/2004
should accordingly be repealed,

Article 2

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Regulations (EC) No 826/2004 and (EC) No 828/2004 shall be
repealed.

Regulation (EC) No 827/2004 is hereby amended as follows:

Article 3

1. In Article 2(1)

‘Cambodia, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra

Leone’ shall be deleted;

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

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

Done at Luxembourg, 13 June 2005.

For the Council
The President

J. ASSELBORN