Proposal for a Council Decision on the conclusion of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters relating to the provisional application of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community, on the one hand, and the Government of Denmark and the Home Rule Government of Greenland, on the other
Date: 2006-11-27
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Denmark, Greenland, common fisheries policy, cooperation agreement (EU), fishing agreement, fishing regulations

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 27.11.2006 
COM(2006) 727 final 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

on the conclusion of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters relating to the 
provisional application of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European 
Community, on the one hand, and the Government of Denmark and the Home Rule 
Government of Greenland, on the other  

(presented by the Commission) 

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

The  European  Community  has  a  longstanding  relation  with  Greenland  on  fisheries.  The 
current  Framework  Agreement  dates  back  to  1985  and  the  present  protocol  is  the  Fourth 
Protocol under the Framework Agreement which expires on 31 December 2006. 

As  a  consequence  of  criticism  from  the  Court  of  Auditors  and  the  European  Parliament  the 
Fourth Protocol was significantly modified for the period 2004-2006 aiming at improving the 
sustainability,  financial  management  and  transparency  of  the  Agreement  by  completely 
removing  a  number  of  quotas,  either  in  accordance  with  the  scientific  advice  which  was 
against  further  exploitation  or  because  they  were  not  utilized.  Other  measures  were  also 
introduced  and  included:  a  yearly  revision  of  the  quotas  in  light  of  scientific  advice;  a 
Budgetary  Support  Program  (BSP)  for  the  fisheries  sector;  licence  fees  paid  by  the 
Community ship owners; intensified experimental fisheries and the possibility of transferring 
fishing possibilities temporarily between Member States in case of under utilisation without 
prejudice to relative stability. 

The  effort  leading  to  the  mid-term  review  also  resulted  in  the  Council  Conclusions  of  24 
February  2003  on  the  Fourth  Fisheries  Protocol  between  the  Community  and  Greenland  in 
which the Council stated that the future cooperation between the Community and Greenland 
should  be  based  on  a  two-pillar  approach  with  a  broader  cooperation  arrangement  in  other 
areas than fisheries and a Fisheries Partnership Agreement. 

The first pillar regarding the broader cooperation arrangement will take the form of a Council 
Decision and a Joint Declaration providing up to EUR 25 million per year to Greenland on the 
basis of cooperation in other areas than fisheries.  

As  regards  the  second  pillar,  i.e.  fisheries,  the  Commission  has  prepared  and  conducted 
negotiations  for  a  Fisheries  Partnership  Agreement  with  Greenland  in  accordance  with  the 
Council  Conclusions  of  24  February  2003  mentioned above, the  Council Conclusions of 15 
July  2004  on  an  integrated  framework  for  Fisheries  Partnership  Agreements  with  third 
countries and the negotiating directives for a Fisheries Partnership Agreement with Greenland 
of 18 July 2005. 

The European Community on the one hand, and the Government of Denmark and the Home 
Rule  Government  of  Greenland,  on  the  other  have  with  a  view  to  replacing  the  Fisheries 
Agreement  of  19851  negotiated  and  initialled  on  2 June 2006,  a  Fisheries  Partnership 
Agreement which provides Community fishermen with fishing opportunities in waters in the 
exclusive  economic  zone  of  Greenland,  together  with  a  Protocol  and  Annex  setting  out  the 
fishing  opportunities,  technical  and  financial  conditions  governing  the  fishing  activities  of 
Community vessels during the period of six years from its entry into force.  

The  Fisheries  Partnership  Agreement,  accompanied  by  a  Protocol  and  its  Annex,  has  been 
signed for a period of six years and remains in force unless terminated. 

The main objective of the new Fisheries Partnership Agreement is to maintain and strengthen 
the  relationship  in  fisheries  between  the  European  Community  and  the  Home  Rule 
Government of Greenland, by creating a framework of partnership and dialogue with a view 

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OJ L 29, 1.2.1985, p.9 

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to improving a sustainable fisheries policy and reasonable exploitation of fisheries resources 
in Greenlandic fishing zones, in the interests of both parties. The Commission’s negotiating 
position was based in part on the results of an ex-ante evaluation carried out by independent 
experts. 

The  two  parties  are  taking  part  in  a  political  dialogue  on  topics  of  mutual  interest  in  the 
fisheries sector. The Fisheries Partnership Agreement supports, in addition to the immediate 
study and elaboration of a cod management plan, the current priorities of fisheries policy in 
Greenland:  (i)  research  undertaken  by  the  Greenland  Institute  of  Natural  Resources  and  (ii) 
the training of fisheries officials. The remaining part of the programme for the sectoral policy 
will  be  elaborated  in  2006  by  Greenland  with  –  where  necessary  –  the  assistance  of  the 
Commission in order to be agreed by the Joint Committee soon thereafter. 

The  Fisheries  Partnership  Agreement  provides  also  for  closer  economic  cooperation  in  the 
fishing  industry  through  the  possibility  of  setting  up  and  development  of  joint  enterprises 
involving  companies  from  both  parties  and  the  promotion  of  temporary  joint  ventures  in 
Greenland.  

The  Protocol  lays  down  the  fishing  opportunities  for  Community  vessels,  the  financial 
contribution,  the  categories  of  fishing  activities  for  Community  vessels  in  the  Greenlandic 
EEZ and the conditions governing them. The Protocol covers a period of six years. 

The financial contribution is fixed at EUR 15,847,244 per year including a financial reserve 
of EUR 1,540,000 which will be paid in case the Community receives fishing opportunities 
for  cod  and/or  capelin  in  addition  to  the  quotas  already  set  out  in  the  Annex.  Of  the  EUR 
15,847,244 an annual financial support of EUR 3,261,449 is to be earmarked for defining and 
implementing a sectoral fisheries policy in Greenland, with a view to continuing the dialogue 
on responsible and sustainable fishing. 

On top of the financial contribution from the Community budget, the ship owners’ fees, fixed 
for  each  species  as  5%  of  the  average  reference  prices  set  out  in  Appendix  1,  paid  to 
Greenland, could amount to around EUR 2 million. 

The  financial  contribution  for  the  fishing  opportunities  in  the  first  protocol  under  this  new 
Fisheries Partnership Agreement is based on the following changes compared to the modified 
Fourth Protocol under the Fisheries Agreement from 1985: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

reduction of the redfish, Greenland halibut East and snow crab quota in accordance 
with the scientific advice; 

increase in the quotas of Greenland halibut West of 1,000 tonnes and the shrimp East 
by 1,325 tonnes; 

removal  of  the  direct  fishery  for  roundnose  grenadier  in  accordance  with  scientific 
advice as well as underutilisation by only allowing by-catches of this species; 

introduction of a cod quota of 1,000 tonnes in 2007 to be increased to 3,500 tonnes 
from 2008 and onwards; 

increase in the by-catch quota due to the introduction of the cod quota and Greenland 
requirements on by-catch quotas. 

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The Commission proposes on this basis that the Council adopt by Decision the Agreement on 
form  of  an  exchange  of  letters  concerning  the  provisional  application  of  the  new  Fisheries 
Partnership  Agreement  between  the  European  Community  on  the  one  hand,  and  the 
Government  of  Denmark  and  the  Home  Rule  Government  of  Greenland,  on  the  other,  by 
pending its definitive entry into force.  

A proposal for a Council Regulation concerning the conclusion of this new Fisheries Partnership 
Agreement is subject to a separate procedure.  

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Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

on the conclusion of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters relating to the 
provisional application of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European 
Community, on the one hand, and the Government of Denmark and the Home Rule 
Government of Greenland, on the other  

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

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

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission2, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

The  Community,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  Government  of  Denmark  and  the  Home 
Rule Government of Greenland, on the other, have negotiated a Fisheries Partnership 
Agreement providing Community fishermen with fishing opportunities in the waters in 
the exclusive economic zone of Greenland. 

As a result of those negotiations, a new Fisheries Partnership Agreement was initialled 
on 2 June 2006. 

The Agreement on fisheries between the European Economic Community, on the one 
hand, and the Government of Denmark and the local Government of Greenland, on the 
other, is repealed by the new Fisheries Partnership Agreement. 

In order to guarantee the continuation of fishing activities by Community vessels, it is 
essential  that  the  new  Fisheries  Partnership  Agreement  is  applied  as  quickly  as 
possible;  both  parties  have  therefore  initialled  an  Agreement  in  the  form  of  an 
exchange  of  letters  providing  for  the  provisional  application  of  the  new  Fisheries 
Partnership Agreement from 1 January 2007. 

It  is  in  the  interest  of  the  Community  to  approve  the  Agreement  in  the  form  of  an 
exchange of letters. 

The method for allocating the fishing opportunities among the Member States should 
be defined. 

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HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:  

Article 1 

The Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters relating to the provisional application 
of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community, on the one hand, 
and the Government of Denmark and the Home Rule Government of Greenland, on the other 
is hereby approved on behalf of the Community. 

The text of the Agreement is attached to this Decision. 

Article 2 

The  allocation  of  fishing  opportunities  including  licences  obtained  under  the  Agreement 
referred to in Article 1 shall be conducted in accordance with Article 20 of Regulation (EC) 
Nr. 2371/2002. 

Article 3 

The Member States whose vessels fish under this Agreement shall notify the Commission of 
the  quantities  of  each  stock  caught  within  the  Greenlandic  fishing  zone  in  accordance  with 
Commission Regulation (EC) No 500/2001 of 14 March 2001 laying down detailed rules for 
the application of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 on the monitoring of catches taken 
by Community fishing vessels in third country waters and on the high seas3. 

Article 4 

The President of the Council is hereby authorized to designate the persons empowered to sign 
the Agreement in the form of an exchange of letters in order to bind the Community. 

Done at Brussels, 

For the Council 
The President 

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OJ L 73, 15.3.2001, p. 8. 

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ANNEX  

Agreement in the form of exchange of letters 
relating to the provisional application of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between 
the European Community, on the one hand, and the Government of Denmark and the 
Home Rule Government of Greenland, on the other  

A. 

Letter of the Government of Denmark and the Home Rule Government of Greenland  

Sir,  

With reference to the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community, on 
the  one  hand,  and  the  Government  of  Denmark  and  the  Home  Rule  Government  of 
Greenland,  on  the  other,  initialled  on  2  June  2006,  including  the  Protocol  and  Annexes 
thereto, setting out the fishing opportunities and the financial contribution for the period from 
1 January 2007 to 31 December 2012, I have the honour to inform you that the Home Rule 
Government of Greenland is prepared to apply the Agreement provisionally from 1 January 
2007,  pending  its  entry  into  force  in  accordance  with  Article  7  thereof,  provided  that  the 
European Community is disposed to do the same. 

This is on the understanding that the first instalment of the financial contribution, laid down in 
Article 2 of the Protocol, shall be paid before 30 June 2007. 

I should be grateful if you would confirm the agreement of the European Community to such 
provisional application.  

Please accept, Sir, the assurance of my highest consideration 

For the Government of Denmark and the Home Rule Government of Greenland 

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B. 

Letter of the European Community  

Sir,  

I  have  the  honour  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  your  letter  of  today’s  date,  which  reads  as 
follows:  

“Sir,  

With reference to the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community, on 
the  one  hand,  and  the  Government  of  Denmark  and  the  Home  Rule  Government  of 
Greenland,  on  the  other,  initialled  on  2  June  2006,  including  the  Protocol  and  Annexes 
thereto, setting out the fishing opportunities and the financial contribution for the period from 
1 January 2007 to 31 December 2012, I have the honour to inform you that the Home Rule 
Government of Greenland is prepared to apply the Agreement provisionally from 1 January 
2007,  pending  its  entry  into  force  in  accordance  with  Article  7  thereof,  provided  that  the 
European Community is disposed to do the same. 

This is on the understanding that the first instalment of the financial contribution, laid down in 
Article 2 of the Protocol, shall be paid before 30 June 2007. 

I should be grateful if you would confirm the agreement of the European Community to such 
provisional application. “ 

I  have  the  honour  to  confirm  the  European  Community’s  agreement  to  such  provisional 
application. 

Please accept, Sir, the assurance of my highest consideration 

On behalf of the Council of the European Union 

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Fisheries Partnership Agreement 
between the European Community on the one hand, and the Government of Denmark 
and the Home Rule Government of Greenland, on the other 

THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY, hereinafter referred to as “the Community”, and 

THE  GOVERNMENT  OF  DENMARK  AND  THE  HOME  RULE  GOVERNMENT  OF 
GREENLAND, hereinafter referred to as “Greenland”,  

Hereinafter referred to as the “Parties”, 

HAVING REGARD to the Protocol on the special arrangement applicable to Greenland 

RECOGNIZING  that  the  European  Community  and  Greenland  wish  to  strengthen  the  links 
between  them  and  to  establish  a  partnership  and  a  cooperation  which  would  support, 
complement and extend the relations and cooperation established between them in the past, 

RECALLING  the  Council  decision  of  November  2001  on  the  association  of  the  overseas 
countries and territories with the European Community, 

TAKING  ACCOUNT  of  the  recognition  by  the  Council  in  February  2003  of  the  need  to 
broaden and strengthen the future relations between the European Community and Greenland, 
taking into account the importance of fisheries and the need for structural and sector oriented 
reforms in Greenland based on a comprehensive partnership for sustainable development,  

TAKING ACCOUNT of the Joint Declaration of 27 June 2006 by the European Community 
on one hand and the Home Rule Government of Greenland and the Government of Denmark 
on the other on partnership between the European Community and Greenland  

RECALLING  the  Council  Decision  of  17  July  2006  on  the  relations  between  the  European 
Community on the one hand and the Home Rule Government of Greenland and Government 
of Denmark on the other  

RECALLING the status of Greenland, which is both autonomous and an integral part of one 
of the Member States of the Community 

CONSIDERING  the  overall  relationship  between  the  Community  and  Greenland,  and  their 
mutual desire to continue that relationship, 

HAVING  REGARD  TO  the  United  Nations  Convention  on  the  Law  of  the  Sea  and  the 
Agreement  for  implementation  of  the  provisions  of  the  United  Nations  Convention  on  the 
Law  of  the  Sea  relating  to  the  conservation  and  management  of  straddling  fish  stocks  and 
highly migratory fish stocks., 

AWARE  of  the  importance  of  the  principles  established  by  the  Code  of  conduct  for 
responsible fisheries adopted at the FAO Conference in 1995, 

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DETERMINED  to  cooperate,  in  their  mutual  interest,  in  securing  continued  responsible 
fisheries  to  ensure  the  long-term  conservation  and  sustainable  exploitation  of  marine  living 
resources, 

CONVINCED  that  such  cooperation  must  take  the  form  of  initiatives  and  measures  which, 
whether  taken  jointly  or  separately,  are  complementary,  consistent  with  policy  and  ensure 
synergy of effort, 

INTENDING,  to  these  ends,  to  continue  a  dialogue  with  a  view  to  improving  the  sectoral 
fisheries  policy  in  Greenland  and  identifying  the  appropriate  means  of  ensuring  that  this 
policy is effectively implemented and that economic operators and civil society are involved 
in the process, 

DESIROUS  of  establishing  terms  and  conditions  governing  the  fishing  activities  of 
Community vessels in the Greenlandic Exclusive Economic Zone and Community support for 
securing continued responsible fishing in those waters, 

RESOLVED  to  pursue  closer  economic  cooperation  in  the  fishing  industry  and  related 
activities  through  the  setting  up  and  development  of  joint  enterprises  involving  companies 
from both Parties and the promotion of temporary joint ventures, 

HEREBY AGREE AS FOLLOWS: 

Article 1 – Scope and objectives 

This Agreement establishes the principles, rules and procedures governing: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

economic, financial, technical and scientific cooperation in the fisheries sector with 
the  purpose  of  ensuring  that  the  exploitation  of  the  fisheries  resources  provide 
sustainable  economic  and  social  conditions  including  the  development  of  the 
Greenlandic fisheries sector; 

the  conditions  governing  access  by  Community  fishing  vessels  to  the  Greenlandic 
Exclusive Economic zone (hereinafter “the Greenlandic EEZ”); 

the  arrangements  for  regulating  fisheries  of  Community  vessels  in  the  Greenlandic 
EEZ  with  a  view  to  ensuring  that  the  rules  and  conditions  applicable  to  them  are 
complied with, the measures for the conservation and management of fish stocks are 
effective and illegal, undeclared and unregulated fishing is prevented; 

partnerships  between  companies  aimed  at  developing  economic  activities  in  the 
fisheries sector and related activities, in the common interest. 

Article 2 – Definitions 

For the purposes of this Agreement, the Protocol and the Annex: 

a) 

“Greenland authorities” means the Greenland Home Rule Government;  

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b) 

c) 

d) 

e) 

f) 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

1. 

2. 

"Community authorities" means the European Commission;  

"Community vessel" means a fishing vessel flying the flag of a Member State of the 
Community and registered in the Community;  

"joint enterprise" means any company regulated by Greenlandic law comprising one 
or  more  Community  ship  owners  and  one  or  more  partners  in  Greenland,  with  the 
aim  of  fishing  for  and  possibly  exploiting  Greenlandic  fishing  quotas  in  the 
Greenlandic EEZ by vessels flying the flag of Greenland with a view to the priority 
supply of the Community market; 

"temporary joint ventures" means any association based on a contractual agreement 
of limited duration between Community ship owners and physical or legal persons in 
Greenland,  with  the  aim  of  jointly  fishing  for  and  exploiting  Greenland  fishing 
quotas by vessels flying the flag of a Member State of the European Community and 
sharing the cost, profits or losses of the economic activity jointly undertaken, with a 
view to the priority supply to the Community market;  

“Joint Committee” means a committee made up of representatives of the Community 
and Greenland whose functions are described in Article 10 of this Agreement.  

Article 3 - Principles underlying the implementation of this Agreement 

The  Parties  hereby  undertake  to  secure  continued  responsible  fishing  in  the 
Greenlandic EEZ based on the principle of non-discrimination between the different 
fleets fishing in those waters, without prejudice to the protocol. 

Greenland  will  continue  the  planning  of  a  sectoral  fisheries  policy  and  manage  its 
implementation  through  annual  and  multi  annual  programmes  in  the  light  of 
objectives identified by common accord between the Parties. The Parties shall to that 
end continue the policy dialogue on the necessary reforms. The Greenland authorities 
hereby  undertake  to  inform  the  Community  authorities  when  further  significant 
measures in this area are adopted.  

The  Parties  shall  at  the  request  of  one  of  them  cooperate  also  on  carrying  out 
evaluations,  both  jointly  or  unilaterally,  of  measures,  programmes  and  actions 
implemented on the basis of this Agreement. 

The  Parties  hereby  undertake  to  ensure  that  this  Agreement  is  implemented  in 
accordance with the principles of good economic and social governance. 

Article 4 – Scientific cooperation 

During the period covered by this Agreement, the Community  and Greenland shall 
monitor  the  evolution  of  resources  in  the  Greenlandic  EEZ;  a  joint  scientific 
committee shall upon request from the Joint Committee make a report on the basis of 
any term of reference laid down by that Committee. 

Based  on  the  best  scientific  advice,  the  Parties  shall  consult  each  other  within  the 
Joint  Committee  and  thereafter  Greenland  shall  adopt  such  conservation  and 

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3. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

1. 

2. 

management  measures  as  it  deems  necessary  to  achieve  the  objectives  of  the 
Greenland Fisheries Policy.  

The  Parties  hereby  undertake  to  consult  each  other,  either  directly  or  within  the 
international organisations concerned, to ensure the management and conservation of 
living resources in the Greenlandic EEZ, and  to cooperate in the  relevant scientific 
research. 

Article 5 – Access to the fisheries in the Greenlandic EEZ 

Greenland  hereby  undertakes  to  authorise  Community  vessels  to  engage  in  fishing 
activities in its EEZ in accordance with this Agreement, including the Protocol and 
Annex  thereto.  The  Greenland  authorities  shall  grant  to  vessels  designated  by  the 
Community  licenses  issued  under  the  Protocol  commensurate  with  the  fishing 
opportunities granted in accordance with the Protocol. 

The fishing opportunities granted to the Community by Greenland under the present 
Agreement  may  be  taken  by  vessels  flying  the  flag  of  and  registered  in  Norway, 
Iceland and the Faroe Islands to the extent to which this is necessary for the proper 
functioning  of  the  fisheries  agreements  concluded  by  the  Community  with  those 
Parties. To this end, Greenland undertakes to authorise vessels flying the flag of, and 
registered in, Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands to engage in fishing activities in 
its EEZ. 

The  fishing  activities  governed  by  this  Agreement  shall  be  subject  to  the  laws  and 
regulations  in  force  in  Greenland.  The  Greenland  authorities  shall  seek  the 
observations  of  the  Community  authorities  on  any  amendments  to  that  legislation 
prior to the entry into force of the legislation unless the purpose of the legislation is 
such that it duly justifies its urgent entry into force, without any delay which could 
be  caused  by  such  consultation  with  the  Community  authorities.  The  Greenland 
authorities shall notify in advance and in due time the Community authorities of any 
amendments to that legislation.  

Greenland  shall  assume  responsibility  for  the  effective  application  of  the  fisheries 
monitoring  provisions  in  the  Protocol.  Community  vessels  shall  cooperate  with  the 
competent authorities responsible for carrying out such monitoring. 

The  Community  authorities  hereby  undertake  to  take  all  the  appropriate  steps 
required  to  ensure  that  Community  vessels  comply  with  this  Agreement  and  the 
legislation governing fisheries in the Greenland EEZ. 

Article 6 – Licences 

Community vessels may fish in the Greenlandic EEZ only if they are in possession 
of a valid fishing licence issued under this Agreement. 

The procedure  for obtaining a fishing licence for a vessel, the taxes applicable and 
the method of payment to be used by ship owners shall be as set out in the Annex to 
the Protocol. 

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3. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

The  contracting  parties  shall  ensure  the  proper  implementation  of  these  procedures 
and  conditions  by  appropriate  administrative  cooperation  between  their  competent 
authorities. 

Article 7 – Financial contribution 

The  Community  shall  grant  Greenland  a  financial  contribution  in  accordance  with 
the  terms  and  conditions  laid  down  in  the  Protocol  and  Annex.  This  single 
contribution shall be composed of two related elements, namely: 

(a) 

(b) 

a  financial  contribution  for  access  by  Community  vessels  to  the  Greenland 
fisheries, and 

the  Community’s  financial  support  for  securing  continued  responsible  fishing 
and the sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources in the Greenlandic EEZ.  

The component of the financial contribution referred to in point (b) of paragraph 1 
shall be managed by the Greenland authorities in the light of objectives identified by 
common accord between the Parties in accordance with the Protocol, to be achieved 
in  the  context  of  the  Greenland  Fisheries  Policy  and  an  annual  and  multiannual 
programme for its implementation. 

The  financial  contribution  granted  by  the  Community  shall  be  paid  in  annual 
amounts in accordance with the Protocol. Subject to this Agreement and the Protocol 
the financial contribution may be changed as a result of: 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

exceptional  circumstances,  other  than  natural  phenomena,  preventing  fishing 
activities in the Greenlandic EEZ; 

a  reduction  in  the  fishing  opportunities  granted  to  Community  vessels 
following mutual agreement between the Parties for the purposes of managing 
the  stocks  concerned,  where  this  is  considered  necessary  for  the  conservation 
and  sustainable  exploitation  of  resources  on  the  basis  of  the  best  available 
scientific advice;  

special priority for the Community on access to additional catch opportunities 
beyond those set out in the Protocol to the present Agreement, provided for by 
mutual  agreement  between  the  Parties  within  the  Joint  Committee  where  the 
best available scientific advice indicates that the state of resources so permits; 

(d) 

a reassessment of the terms of Community financial support for implementing 
a  Greenland  Fisheries  Policy,  where  this  is  warranted  by  the  results  of  the 
annual and multiannual programming observed by both Parties; 

(e) 

suspension of the application of this Agreement under Article 13. 

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Article 8 – Promoting cooperation  
among economic operators and in civil society 

1. 

2. 

3. 

The  Parties  shall  encourage  economic,  commercial,  scientific  and  technical 
cooperation in the fisheries sector and related sectors. They shall consult one another 
with a view to coordinating the different measures that might be taken to this end. 

The Parties shall encourage exchanges of information on fishing techniques and gear, 
preservation methods and the industrial processing of fisheries products. 

The Parties shall encourage, in particular, the setting-up of temporary joint ventures 
and joint enterprises in their mutual interest and in accordance with their legislation. 

Article 9 – Experimental fisheries  

The Parties shall promote the conduct of experimental fisheries in the Greenlandic EEZ. The 
Parties shall implement together the experimental fishery in accordance with details as set out 
in the Annex to the Protocol. 

Article 10 – Joint Committee 

1. 

2. 

A  Joint  Committee  shall  be  set  up  to  serve  as  a  forum  for  the  Parties  for  the 
monitoring of the application of this Agreement and ensuring its implementation.  

The Joint Committee shall perform the following functions: 

(a)  monitoring  the  performance,  interpretation  and  application  of  the  Agreement 
and,  in  particular,  the  definition  of  the  annual  and  multiannual  programming 
referred to in Article 7(2) and evaluation of its implementation;  

(b)  providing  the  necessary  liaison  for  matters  of  mutual  interest  relating  to 

fisheries;  

(c) 

(d) 

acting as a forum for reconciliation and the amicable settlement of any disputes 
regarding the interpretation or application of the Agreement;  

reviewing  and  negotiating,  where  necessary,  the  level  of  existing  and  new 
fishing opportunities for relevant stocks in the Greenlandic EEZ based on the 
available  scientific  advice,  the  precautionary  approach  and  the  needs  of  the 
Greenlandic  fishing  industry  and,  consequently  the  fishing  opportunities 
accessible  to  the  Community  and  where  appropriate  of  the  financial 
contribution referred to in the Protocol; 

(e) 

evaluating  the  need  for  establishment  of  recovery  plans  and  long  term 
management plans for stocks under this agreement so as to ensure sustainable 
exploitation  of  stocks  and  that  the  impact  of  fishing  activities  on  marine 
ecosystems is kept at sustainable levels; 

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(f)  monitoring  the  applications  to  establish  temporary  joint  ventures  and  joint 
enterprises  under  the  terms  of  this  Agreement  and  in  particular  assessing  the 
projects  presented  by  the  Parties  for  the  establishment  of  temporary  joint 
ventures  and  joint  enterprises  in  accordance  with  the  criteria  set  out  in  the 
annex to the protocol of this agreement and reviewing the activities of vessels 
belonging  to  temporary  joint  ventures  and  joint  enterprises  operating  in  the 
Greenlandic EEZ; 

(g)  determining,  on  a  case-by-case  basis,  relevant  species,  conditions  and  other 

parameters relating to experimental fishery; 

(h) 

(i) 

(j) 

agreeing on administrative measures concerning access of Community fishing 
vessels to the Greenlandic EEZ and resources including licenses, movement of 
Community fishing vessels and catch reporting; 

agreeing  on  the  modalities  for  the  implementation  of  the  Community’s 
financial support for securing continued responsible fishing and the sustainable 
exploitation of fisheries resources in the Greenlandic EEZ;  

assessing  the  terms  of  Community  financial  support  for  implementing  a 
Greenland Fisheries Policy, where this is warranted by the results of the annual 
and multiannual programming observed by both Parties;  

(k) 

any other function which the Parties decide on by mutual agreement. 

2. 

The  Joint  Committee  shall  meet  at  least  once  a  year,  alternately  in  the  Community 
and in Greenland, and shall be chaired by the Party hosting the meeting. It shall hold 
a special meeting at the request of either of the Parties. 

3. 

The Joint Committee shall adopt its own rules of procedure.  

Article 11 – Geographical area to which the Agreement applies 

This  Agreement  shall  apply,  on  the  one  hand,  to  the  territories  in  which  the  Treaty 
establishing the European Community applies, under the conditions laid down in that Treaty 
and, on the other, to the territory of Greenland and to the Greenlandic EEZ. 

Article 12 – Duration and termination 

1. 

2. 

This Agreement shall apply for six years from the date of its entry into force; it shall 
remain  in  force  for  additional  periods  of  six  years,  unless  notice  of  termination  is 
given in accordance with paragraphs 2 and 3. 

This  Agreement  may  be  terminated  by  either  Party  notably  in  the  event  of  serious 
circumstances such as the degradation of the stocks concerned, or failure to comply 
with  undertakings  made  by  one  of  the  Parties  with  regard  to  combating  illegal, 
undeclared and unregulated fishing. 

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3. 

1. 

2. 

If  the  Agreement  is  terminated  for  the  reasons  mentioned  in  paragraph  2  the  Party 
concerned  shall  notify  the  other  Party  of  its  intention  to  withdraw  from  the 
Agreement  in  writing  at  least  six  months  before  the  date  of  expiry  of  the  initial 
period or each additional period. If the Agreement is terminated for any other reason 
then the period of notification shall be nine months. 

Article 13 – Suspension  

Application  of  this  Agreement  may  be  suspended  at  the  initiative  of  one  of  the 
Parties  if  the  undertakings  in  this  Agreement  in  the  opinion  of  this  Party,  has  been 
seriously  infringed  by  the  other  Party.  Such  suspension  shall  require  the  Party 
concerned  to  notify  its  intention  in  writing  at  least  six  months  before  the  date  on 
which  suspension  is  due  to  take  effect.  On  receipt  of  this  notification,  the  Parties 
shall enter into consultations with a view to resolving their differences amicably. 

Payment  of  the  financial  contribution  referred  to  in  Article  7  and  the  fishing 
possibilities referred to in Article 5 shall be reduced proportionately, according to the 
duration of the suspension. 

Article 14 

The  Protocol  and  the  Annex  and  the  appendices  thereto  shall  form  an  integral  part  of  this 
Agreement. 

Article 15 – Repeal 

The  Fisheries  Agreement  of  1  February  1985  between  the  European  Community  and 
Greenland on fishing off Greenland is hereby repealed and replaced by this Agreement. 

Article 16 – Language and entry into force 

This  Agreement,  drawn  up  in  duplicate  in  the  Czech,  Danish,  Dutch,  English,  Estonian, 
Finnish,  French,  German,  Greek,  Hungarian,  Italian,  Latvian,  Lithuanian,  Maltese,  Polish, 
Portuguese,  Slovak,  Slovene,  Spanish  and  Swedish,  each  of  these  texts  being  equally 
authentic, shall enter into force on the date on which the parties notify each other that their 
adoption procedures have been completed. 

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PROTOCOL 
setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution provided for in the 
Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community on the one hand, 
and the Government of Denmark and the Home Rule Government of Greenland, on the 
other 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

Article 1 
Period of application and fishing opportunities 

For  a  period  of  six  years  from  1  January  2007,  the  Greenland  authorities  authorise 
Community  fishing  vessels  to  engage  in  fishing  activities  up  to  the  level  of  the 
fishing  opportunities  set  out  in  Chapter  I  of  the  Annex  and  those  established 
according to paragraph 2.  

The  levels  of  the  fishing  opportunities  set  out  in  Chapter  I  of  the  Annex  may  be 
revised by the Joint Committee. 

No  later  than  1  December  2007  and  of  each  subsequent  year,  the  Joint  Committee 
shall  agree  upon  the  fishing  opportunities  for  the  species  listed  in  Chapter  I  of  the 
Annex  for  the  following  year  taking  into  account  available  scientific  advice,  the 
precautionary  approach,  the  needs  of  the  fishing  industry  and  in  particular  the 
quantities set out in paragraph 7 of this article.  

In the event that the fishing opportunities are established by the Joint Committee at a 
lower  level  than  the  level  set  out  in  Chapter  I  of  the  Annex,  Greenland  shall 
compensate 
in  subsequent  years  by  corresponding  fishing 
opportunities or in the same year by other fishing opportunities.  

the  Community 

If  no  compensation  is  agreed  between  the  Parties,  the  financial  arrangements, 
including the parameters for the calculation of the value, referred to in Article 2(1) of 
this Protocol shall be adjusted proportionately. 

The quota  for shrimp in East Greenland may be fished  in areas West  of Greenland 
provided that arrangements for quota transfers between ship owners from Greenland 
and  the  European  Community  have  been  established  on  a  company-to-company 
basis. The Greenland authorities shall undertake to facilitate such arrangements. The 
transfers of quotas can only take place within a maximum of 2,000 tonnes annually 
in areas of West Greenland. The fishery carried out by the Community vessels shall 
take  place  on  the  same  conditions  subject  to  the  provisions  of  Chapter  III  of  the 
Annex as laid down in the license issued to the Greenlandic ship owner.  

Authorisations for experimental fisheries shall be made available for a trial period of 
maximum six month each, in accordance with the Annex.  

When the Parties conclude  that  the experimental campaigns have achieved  positive 
results, the Greenland authorities shall allocate 50% of the fishing  opportunities on 
the  new  species  to  the  Community  fleet,  until  the  end  of  this  Protocol,  with  a 
corresponding increase in the part of the financial compensation referred to in Article 
2.  

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6. 

7. 

8. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4 
5 

Greenland  shall  offer  to  the  Community  additional  catch  opportunities.  If  the 
Community  accepts,  in  whole  or  in  part,  such  offer,  the  financial  contribution 
referred  to  in  Article  2(1)  shall  be  increased  proportionately.  The  procedure  to  be 
followed as regards the allocation of additional catch opportunities is set out in the 
Annex to this Protocol.  

The minimum quantities for maintaining Greenlandic fishing activities are hereby set 
at the following levels each year: 

Species (tonnes)  Western stock
(NAFO 0/1)

Eastern stock
(ICES XIV/V)

Snowcrab  

Cod 

Redfish 

Greenland halibut

Shrimp 

4.000
30.0004

2.500

4.700

25.000

5.000

4.000

1.500

Greenland  shall  not  issue  licences  to  Community  vessels  otherwise  than  under  this 
Protocol. 

Article 2 
Financial contribution – Methods of payment 

For the period referred to in Article 1 of this Protocol, the financial contribution of 
the Community referred to in Article 7 of the Agreement shall be EUR 85.843.4645. 
To this shall be added a financial reserve of EUR 9.240.000 out of which payment 
shall be made according to the method set out in paragraph 3 below, for quantities of 
cod  and  capelin  actually  made  available  by  Greenland  beyond  those  set  out  in 
Chapter I of the Annex hereto. 

Paragraph 1 above shall apply subject to the provisions of Articles 1 (2), (5) and (6) 
and  6  of  this  Protocol.  The  total  amount  of  the  financial  contribution  paid  by  the 
European Community shall not be more than twice the amount indicated in Article 
2(1).  

Without prejudice to Article 1 (2), (5) and (6) of this Protocol, the Community shall 
pay  the  financial  contribution  referred  to  in  paragraph  1  above  in  the  form  of  an 
annual amount at the rate of EUR 14.307.244 during the period of application of this 
Protocol.  As  regards  cod  and  capelin  every  year  Greenland  shall  notify  the 
Community  authorities  of  any  quantities  of  cod  and  capelin  made  available  for 
catching  beyond  the  amounts  set  out  in  Chapter  I  of  the  Annex  hereto.  The 
Community shall pay for those additional amounts 17.5% of the first landing value at 
the rate of EUR 1.800 per ton for cod and EUR 100 per ton for capelin, minus the 
fees  paid  by  ship  owners,  up  to  a  maximum  of  EUR  1.540.000  per  year,  to  cover 
both species. Any part of this financial reserve not used in one year may be carried 

May be fished West or East 
To this amount are added the following resources: 
-  The  amount  of  the  fees  due  by  shipowners  in  point  3  of  Chapter  II  of  the  Annex,  paid  directly  to 
Greenland is estimated at around EUR 2.000.000 per year.  

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4. 

5. 

over to pay Greenland for additional quantities of cod and capelin made available for 
catching in the subsequent two years. 

The  Community  shall  pay  the  annual  amount  of  the  financial  contribution  no  later 
than 30 June 2007 in the first year and no later than 1 March in the following years 
and the annual amount of the financial reserve for cod and capelin, by the same dates 
or as soon as possible thereafter following the notification of the availability of the 
quantities in question.  

Subject  to  Article  4  of  this  Protocol,  the  Greenland  authorities  shall  have  full 
discretion regarding the use to which this financial contribution and financial reserve 
are put, except for annual amounts of EUR 500.000 and EUR 100.000 which shall be 
applied respectively for the operation of the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources 
and for training of fisheries officials, and in 2007 an amount of EUR 186.022 to be 
used for cod management plan studies.  

6. 

The financial contribution shall be paid into a Public Treasury account opened with a 
financial institution specified by the Greenland authorities. 

Article 3 
 Suspension and review of payment of the financial contribution on grounds of force majeure 

1. 

2. 

3. 

1. 

2. 

Where  serious  circumstances,  other  than  natural  phenomena,  prevent  fishing 
activities in the Greenlandic EEZ, the European Community may suspend payment 
of  the  financial  contribution  provided  for  in  Article  2(1)  of  this  Protocol  following 
consultations  between  the  two  parties  where  possible,  and  provided  that  the 
Community has paid in full any amounts due at the time of suspension.  

Payment  of  the  financial  contribution  shall  resume  as  soon  as  the  parties  find,  by 
mutual agreement following consultations, that the circumstances preventing fishing 
activities are no longer present. 

The  validity  of  the  licences  granted  to  Community  vessels  under  Article  5  of  the 
Agreement  shall  be  extended  by  a  period  equal  to  the  period  during  which  fishing 
activities were suspended. 

Article 4 
Support for securing continued responsible fishing in the Greenland EEZ 

Every year an amount of EUR 3.261.449 (exceptionally for 2007 EUR 3.224.244) of 
the  financial  contribution  referred  to  in  Article  2(1)  of  this  Protocol  shall  be  put 
towards improving and implementing a sectoral fisheries policy in Greenland with a 
view  to  securing  continued  responsible  fishing  in  the  Greenlandic  EEZ.  This 
contribution  shall  be  managed  in  the  light  of  objectives  identified  by  mutual 
agreement between the two parties, and the annual and multiannual programming to 
attain them.  

For  the  purposes  of  paragraph  1,  as  soon  as  this  Protocol  enters  into  force  and  no 
later  than  three  months  after  that  date,  the  Joint  Committee  shall  agree  on  a 
multiannual  sectoral  programme  and  detailed  implementing  rules  covering,  in 
particular: 

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(a) 

(b) 

annual  and  multiannual  guidelines  for  using  the  part  of  the  financial 
contribution referred to in paragraph 1;  

the  objectives,  both  annual  and  multiannual,  to  be  achieved  with  a  view  to 
securing  a  continuation,  over  time,  of  responsible  fishing  and  sustainable 
fisheries, taking account of the priorities expressed by Greenland in its national 
fisheries  policy  and  other  policies  relating  to  or  having  an  impact  on  the 
continuation of responsible fishing and sustainable fisheries; 

(c) 

criteria and procedures for evaluating the results obtained each year. 

Any proposed amendments to the multiannual sectoral programme must be agreed to 
by both parties within the Joint Committee. 

Each year, Greenland shall allocate the part of the financial contribution referred to 
in paragraph 1 with a view to implementing the multiannual programme. For the first 
year of application of the Protocol, that allocation shall be notified to the Community 
at the same time as the notification takes place for the following year. For each year 
thereafter,  Greenland  shall  notify  the  Community  of  the  allocation  no  later  than  1 
December of the previous year. 

Where the annual evaluation of the progress made in implementing the multiannual 
sectoral  programme  so  warrants,  the  European  Community  may  ask  with  the 
approval  of  the  Joint  Committee  for  the  application  of  the  financial  contribution 
referred to in Article 2(1) of this Protocol to be changed . 

Article 5 
Disputes – Suspension of application of the Protocol  

Any  dispute  between  the  parties  over  the  interpretation  of  this  Protocol  or  its 
application shall be the subject of consultations between the parties within the Joint 
Committee, in a special meeting if necessary. 

Without  prejudice  to  Article  6  of  this  Protocol,  application  of  the  Protocol  may  be 
suspended  at  the  initiative  of  one  party  if  the  undertakings  in  this  protocol  in  the 
opinion  of  this  Party  have  been  seriously  infringed  by  the  other  Party  and  if  the 
consultations held within the Joint Committee under paragraph 1 have not resulted in 
an amicable settlement.  

Suspension of application of the Protocol shall require the interested party to notify 
its intention in writing at least three months before the date on which suspension is 
due to take effect.  

In the event of suspension, the parties shall continue to consult with a view to finding 
an amicable settlement to their dispute. Where such settlement is reached, application 
of the Protocol shall resume and the amount of the financial contribution and fishing 
opportunities shall be reduced proportionately and pro rata temporis according to the 
period during which application of the Protocol was suspended. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

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Article 6 
Suspension of application of the Protocol on grounds of non-payment 

If  the  Community  fails  to  make  the  payments  provided  for  in  Article  2  of  this  Protocol, 
application of the Protocol may be suspended on the following terms: 

(a) 

(b) 

The competent authorities of Greenland shall notify the Community authorities of the 
non-payment. The latter shall make the necessary verifications and, where necessary, 
transmit the payment within no more than 30 working days of the date of receipt of 
the notification. 

If no payment is made and non-payment is not adequately justified within the period 
provided for in point (a) above, the competent Greenland authorities shall be entitled 
to suspend application of the Protocol. They shall inform the Community authorities 
of such action forthwith. 

(c) 

Application of the Protocol shall resume as soon as the payment concerned has been 
made. 

Article 7 
Mid term review 

If  one  of  the  Parties  so  requests  during  2009,  the  application  of  Articles  1,  2  and  4  of  the 
present  protocol  shall  be  reviewed  before  1  December  of  that  year.  On  that  occasion  the 
Parties may agree to amend the present Protocol regarding in particular the indicative quotas 
set  out  in  Chapter  I  of  the  Annex  hereto,  the  financial  arrangements  and  the  provisions  of 
Article 4.  

Article 8 

Entry into force 

This Protocol with its Annex shall apply with effect from 1 January 2007. 

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ANNEX 

CONDITIONS GOVERNING FISHING ACTIVITIES BY COMMUNITY VESSELS IN 
THE GREENLANDIC EEZ 

CHAPTER I – INDICATIVE CATCH OPPORTUNITIES 2007-2012 AND BY-CATCHES 

1. 

Level of fishing opportunities authorised by Greenland: 

Species 

2007 
1.000 
10.838 

7.500 

2.500 

Cod (NAFO 0/1) 6 
Pelagic redfish (ICES 
XIV/V) 7 
Greenland Halibut 
(NAFO 0/1) – south of 
68° 
Greenland Halibut 
(ICES XIV/V) 8 
Shrimp (NAFO 0/1) 
Shrimp (ICES XIV/V) 
Atlantic Halibut 
(NAFO 0/1)  
Atlantic Halibut (ICES 
XIV/V)9 
Capelin (ICES XIV/V)   55.00010 
Snowcrab (NAFO 0/1) 
By-catches (NAFO 0/1) 
11 

4.000 
7.000 
200 

500 
2.600 

1200 

2008 
3.500 
8.000 

2.500 

7.500 

4.000 
7.000 
200 

1200 

2009 
3.500 
8.000 

2.500 

7.500 

4.000 
7.000 
200 

1200 

2010 
3.500 
8.000 

2.500 

7.500 

4.000 
7.000 
200 

1200 

2011 
3.500 
8.000 

2.500 

7.500 

4.000 
7.000 
200 

1200 

2012 
3.500 
8.000 

2.500 

7.500 

4.000 
7.000 
200 

1200 

55.00010 
500 
2.300 

55.00010 
500 
2.300 

55.00010 
500 
2.300 

55.00010 
500 
2.300 

55.00010 
500 
2.300 

2. 

By-catch limits 

Community  fishing  vessels  operating  in  the  Greenlandic  EEZ  shall  abide  by  the  applicable 
by-catch rules, both for regulated and non-regulated species. Moreover, it is prohibited in the 
Greenlandic EEZ to discard regulated species. 

6 

7 
8 

9 

10 

11 

In the event of stock recovery, the Community may fish up to pm tonnes, with a corresponding increase 
in the part of the financial compensation referred to in Article 2 (1) of the Protocol. The quota for 2007 
can only be fished as from 1June. May be fished East or West.  
May be fished East or West. To be fished by pelagic trawl. 
This figure may be revised in the light of the agreement for the allocation of catch possibilities between 
coastal countries. The fishery shall be managed through a limitation on the number of vessels fishing at 
the same time. 
1.000 tonnes to be fished by no more than 6 Community demersal longliners catching Atlantic halibut 
and associated species. The conditions for the fishery of the demersal longliners shall be agreed upon in 
the framework of the Joint Committee. 
When catchable, the Community may fish up to 7,7% of the capelin TAC for the season going from 20 
June  to  30  April  the  following  year  with  a  corresponding  increase  in  the  part  of  the  financial 
compensation referred to in Article 2(1) of the Protocol. 
By-catches are defined as any catches of species not covered by the vessel’s target species indicated on 
the license. The composition of the by-catches shall be reviewed annually in the framework of the Joint 
Committee. May be fished East or West.  

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By-catches  are  defined  as  any  catches  of  species  not  covered  by  the  vessel’s  target  species 
indicated on the license. 

The  maximum  quantities  which  may  be  taken  as  by-catch  are  authorised  when  issuing  the 
licence  for  target  species.  The  maximum  quantity  of  each  regulated  species  which  may  be 
caught as by-catch will be indicated on the licence issued. 

By-catches of regulated species will be counted against the by-catch reserve set aside as part 
of the fishing possibilities of the relevant species allocated to the Community. By-catches of 
non-regulated  species  will  be  counted  against  the  by-catch  reserve  of  non-regulated  species 
set aside for the Community. 

A  licence  fee  shall  not  be  paid  for  by-catches.  However,  in  the  case  where  a  Community 
fishing  vessel  exceeds  the  maximum  authorised  quantity  of  by-catch  of  regulated  species,  a 
penalty shall be imposed amounting to three times the normal license fee for that species as 
regards the quantity in excess of the maximum by-catch allowed. 

CHAPTER II - APPLICATION FOR AND ISSUE OF LICENCES 

1. 

2. 

3. 

Only eligible vessels may obtain a licence to fish in the Greenlandic EEZ. 

For a vessel to be eligible, neither the owner, the master nor the vessel itself must be 
prohibited  from  fishing  in  the  Greenlandic  EEZ.  They  must  be  in  order  with  the 
Greenland authorities insofar as they must have fulfilled all prior obligations arising 
from  their  fishing  activities  in  Greenland  or  within  the  Greenlandic  EEZ  under  the 
fisheries agreements concluded with the Community. 

The  fisheries  licence  applications  and  issuing  formalities  referred  to  in  Article  1, 
paragraph  3  of  the  Agreement  are  set  out  in  the  administrative  arrangement  in 
Appendix 1. 

CHAPTER III - FISHING ZONES 

The  fishery  shall  take  place  within  the  fishing  zone  as  defined  as  the  Greenland  Exclusive 
Economic Zone as provided for in the Regulation No. 1020 of 15 October 2004 in accordance 
with Royal Decree No. 1005 of 15 October 2004 on the Entry Into Force of Act on Exclusive 
Economic Zones for Greenland entering into force Act No. 411 of 22 May 1996 on Exclusive 
Economic Zones.  

The fishery shall take place at least 12 nautical miles off the base line according to § 7 Section 
2  of  Act  No.  18  of  31  October  1996  on  Fisheries  issued  by  the  Landsting  of  Greenland  as 
most recently amended by the Landsting Act No. 28 of 18. December 2003 unless specifically 
provided otherwise.  

The baselines are defined in accordance with Royal Decree No. 1004 of 15 October 2004 on 
Amendment of Royal Degree on Delimitation of the territorial Waters of Greenland.  

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CHAPTER IV – ADDITIONAL CATCH POSSIBILITIES 

The  Greenland  authorities  shall  offer  the  Community  authorities  any  additional  catch 
possibilities as referred to in Article 7 of the Agreement, in accordance with Article 1(6) of 
the Protocol. 

The Community authorities shall inform the Greenland authorities of its reaction to the offer 
no later than 6 weeks after receipt of the offer. If the Community authorities either decline the 
offer  or  do  not  react  within  6  weeks,  the  Greenland  authorities  shall  be  free  to  offer  the 
additional catch possibilities to other parties.  

CHAPTER V –ARRANGEMENTS FOR CATCH REPORTING, TECHNICAL CONSERVATION MEASURES 
AND OBSERVER SCHEME 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

Community  fishing  vessels  shall  be  provided  with  a  set  of  relevant  parts  of 
Greenlandic legislation in English for conditions regarding catch reporting, technical 
conservation measures and observer scheme. 

Masters of Community fishing vessels shall keep on board a logbook in which they 
must  record  their  activities  in  accordance  with  the  rules  provided  for  under 
Greenlandic law. 

Fishing activities shall be carried out in accordance with the technical conservation 
measures as set out under Greenlandic law. 

Any  fishing  operations  in  the  Greenlandic  EEZ  are  subject  to  the  observer  scheme 
provided  for  under  Greenlandic  law.  Masters  of  Community  fishing  vessels  shall 
cooperate with the Greenland authorities for the purpose of embarking of observers 
on board in the ports designated by the Greenland authorities. 

CHAPTER VI – VMS 

The conditions concerning VMS are laid down in Appendix 2. 

CHAPTER VII – TEMPORARY JOINT VENTURES 

The  conditions  concerning  access  to  resources  of  temporary  joint  ventures  are  laid  down  in 
Appendix 3. 

CHAPTER VIII – EXPERIMENTAL FISHERIES 

The conditions concerning Experimental Fisheries are laid down in Appendix 4. 

CHAPTER IX – MONITORING 

When the competent authorities establish that there has been a violation of Greenlandic law 
by a master of a Community fishing vessel, notice thereof shall be sent as soon as possible to 
the  European  Commission  and  the  flag  Member  State.  The  notice  shall  contain  information 
concerning  the  name  of  the  vessel,  register  number,  call  signal  and  the  names  of  the  vessel 
owners  and  master  of  the  vessel.  Furthermore,  the  notice  shall  contain  a  description  of  the 
circumstances leading to the violation and shall specify any sanctions applied.  

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The  Commission  shall  provide  the  Greenland  authorities  with  a  list  of  the  competent 
authorities in the Member States as well as a regular update of this list. 

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APPENDICES 

(1) 

Administrative  Arrangement  on  licences.  Conditions  for  the  exercise  of  fishing 
activities by Community vessels in the Greenlandic EEZ.  

(2) 

Conditions On Issues related to Satellite Tracking of Fishing Vessels  

(3) 

Conditions relating to Temporary Joint Ventures  

(4) 

Details of implementation for experimental fisheries. 

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26 

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ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENT ON LICENCES BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, 
THE GOVERNMENT OF DENMARK AND THE HOME RULE GOVERNMENT OF GREENLAND. 

Conditions for the exercise of fishing activities by Community vessels in the Greenland 
EEZ 

Appendix 1 

A. 

1. 

LICENCE APPLICATION AND ISSUING FORMALITIES 

Ship owners of Community fishing vessels which are interested to make use of the 
fishing  opportunities  under  this  agreement,  or  their  agent,  shall  no  later  than  1 
December  prior  to  the  fishing  year  notify  through  electronic  transmission  to  the 
Commission  via  the  national  authorities  a  list  of  vessels  concerned,  containing  the 
data  set  out  in  the  attached  application  form.  The  Community  authorities  shall 
transmit forthwith these lists to the Greenland authorities. Any modifications shall be 
notified in advance in accordance with this procedure. 

Ship  owners  of  Community  vessels  or  their  agent  shall  present  to  the  Community 
authorities via the national authorities by 1 March or thirty days before the beginning 
of the fishing trip an application for each vessel wishing to fish under the Agreement. 
Applications  shall  be  made  on  the  forms  provided  for  that  purpose  by  Greenland, 
specimens of which are attached. Each licence application shall be accompanied by 
proof of payment of the fee for the licence’s term of validity. The fees shall include 
all  national  and  local  charges  related  to  access  to  fishing  activities  as  well  as  fees 
imposed  by  banks  for  transfers  of  money.  In  case  a  vessel  has  not  paid  the  bank 
transfer fee this amount will be required to be paid with the next license application 
of this vessel and is a precondition for the issuing of a new license. The Greenland 
authorities will charge an administration fee of one percent of the license fee.  

Community  vessels  of  the  same  ship  owner  or  agent  may  submit  a  collective 
application for a licence provided that these vessels fly the flag of one and the same 
Member  State.  Each  licence  issued  under  a  collective  application  shall  indicate  the 
total quantity of specimen for which the licence fee has been paid and shall carry the 
foot-note  “maximum  quantity  to  be  shared  by  the  vessels…(names  of  each  vessel 
listed on the collective application)”.  

A  collective  application  must  be  accompanied  by  a  fishing  plan,  which  gives  the 
aimed  quantity  for  each  of  the  vessels.  Any  change  in  the  fishing  plan  shall  be 
communicated  at  least  3  days  before  the  change  takes  place  to  the  Greenland 
authorities with a copy to the European Commission and the national authorities. 

The Community authorities shall present to the Greenland authorities the (collective) 
application for (a) licence(s) of each vessel wishing to fish under the Agreement. 

The Greenland authorities are entitled to suspend an existing license or not to issue a 
new license if a Community vessel has not fulfilled the requirements of transmitting 
relevant  logbook  sheets  and  landing  declarations  to  the  Greenland  authorities  in 
accordance with the catch reporting arrangements. 

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2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

B. 

1. 

The  Greenland  authorities  shall  communicate,  before  the  entry  into  force  of  the 
Administrative  Arrangement,  all  information  concerning  the  bank  accounts  to  be 
used for the payment of the fee. 

Licences shall be issued for specific vessels and shall not be transferable - subject to 
the  provisions  of  paragraph  4.  Licences  shall  indicate  the  maximum  quantity 
authorised  to  be  caught  and  retained  on  board.  An  amendment  of  any  of  the 
maximum quantities indicated in the licence(s) shall be subject to a new application. 
In the case where a vessel incidentally exceeds any maximum quantity indicated in 
its  licence,  it  shall  pay  a  fee  for  the  quantity  in  excess  of  the  maximum  quantity 
indicated  in  its  licence.  No  new  licence  is  issued  to  that  vessel  as  long  as  the  fees 
corresponding  to  the  exceeded  quantities  are  not  paid.  This  fee  is  calculated  in 
accordance with Part B 2 and thereafter tripled. 

However, in the case of force majeure and at the request of the Commission of the 
European  Communities,  a  vessel’s  licence  may  be  replaced  by  a  new  licence  for 
another  vessel  with  characteristics  similar  to  those  of  the  first  vessel.  The  new 
licence shall indicate: 

– 

– 

the date of issue, 

the fact that it invalidates and replaces the licence of the previous vessel. 

Licences  shall  be  transmitted  by  the  Greenland  Fisheries  Authority  to  the 
Commission of the European Communities within 15 working days of receipt of the 
application. 

The  original  licence  or  a  copy  of  it  must  be  held  on  board  at  all  times  and  be 
presented at any time on request of the competent Greenland authorities. 

VALIDITY OF LICENCES AND PAYMENT 

Licences shall be valid from the date of issue to the end of the calendar year in which 
the licence has been issued. They shall be issued within 15 working days of receipt 
of  the  application  following  payment  of  the  required licence  fees  per  year  for  each 
vessel.  

As far as the capelin fishery is concerned, licences shall be issued from 20 June to 31 
December and 1 January to 30 April. 

In  case  Community  legislation  fixing  the  fishing  opportunities  for  a  given  year  for 
Community  vessels,  in  waters  where  catch  limitations  are  required,  has  not  been 
adopted by the beginning of the fishing year Community fishing vessels authorised 
to fish on 31 December in the previous fishing year may continue their activities on 
the same license in the year for which legislation has not been adopted provided that 
scientific advice allows for this. A provisional use of 1/12th of the quota per month 
will  be  allowed  provided  that  the  applicable  license  fee  is  paid  for  the  quota.  The 
provisional  quota  may  be  adjusted  in  relation  to  the  scientific  advice  and  the 
conditions of the specific fishery. 

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2. 

The licence fee shall be 5% of the converted price which are as follows: 

Species 

Live weight price per tonne

Cod 

Redfish 

Greenland Halibut

Shrimp 

Atlantic Halibut12 

Capelin 

Snowcrab 

1800 

1053 

2571 

1600 

4348 

100 

2410 

3. 

The licence fees are as follows:  

Species 

EUR per tonne

Cod 

Redfish 

Greenland Halibut

Shrimp 

Atlantic Halibut13 

Capelin 

Snowcrab 

90 

53 

129 

80 

217 

5 

120 

The total licence fee (maximum quantity authorised to be fished multiplied by price 
per  tonne)  will  be  charged  with  a  Greenlandic  administration  fee  of  one  percent  of 
the licence fee. 

Should the maximum authorised quantity not be fished, the fee corresponding to this 
maximum authorised quantity shall not be reimbursed to the ship owner. 

12 Atlantic halibut and associated species: 3.000 Euro 
13 License fee for Atlantic halibut and associatesd speices: 150 Euro per tons 

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APPLICATION FORM FOR A FISHING LICENCE IN THE GREENLANDIC EEZ  

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

Nationality 

Name of Vessel 

EC Community Fleet 
Register Number 
External identification 
letters and number 
Port of registration 

Radio call Sign 

Inmarsat Number 
(Telephone, Telex, Email)14 
Year of Building 

Type of Vessel 

10  Type of fishing gear 

11  Target Species + Quantity 

12 

Fishing area (ICES/NAFO) 

13  Time period for a licence 

14  Owners, Address, 

Telephone, Telex, Email 

15  Vessel operator 

16  Name of Master 

17  Number of crew members 

18  Engine power (KW) 

19  Length (L.O.A.) 

20  Tonnage in GT 

21  Representative in Greenland 

Name and address 

22  Address to where the 

licence should be mailed, 
Fax 

European Commission, Directorate General Fisheries,  
Rue de la Loi 200, B-1049 Brussels, Fax +32 2 2962338 

14 May be forwarded when application has been approved.  

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1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

CONDITIONS ON ISSUES RELATED TO SATELLITE TRACKING OF FISHING VESSELS 

Appendix 2 

Satellite  tracking  shall  apply  to  the  Parties’  fishing  vessels  when  operating  in  the 
waters of the other party. 

Fishing  vessels  shall  be  tracked  by  their  Flag  State  Fisheries  Monitoring  Centre 
(FMC) when operating in waters under the jurisdiction of the other Party. 

For the purpose of the satellite tracking, the Parties shall exchange consistent latitude 
and  longitude  co-ordinates  of  waters  which  fall  under  their  jurisdiction.  Such  co-
ordinates shall be without prejudice to other claims and positions of the Parties. The 
data  shall  be  communicated  in  computer  readable  form,  as  decimal  degrees  in  the 
WGS-84 datum. 

The Vessel Monitoring System hardware and software components shall be tamper 
proof,  i.e.  shall  not  permit  the  input  or  output  of  false  positions  and  shall  not  be 
capable  of  being  manually  over-ridden.  The  system  shall  be  fully  automatic  and 
operational at all times regardless of environmental conditions. It shall be prohibited 
to  destroy,  damage,  render  inoperative  or  otherwise  interfere  with  the  satellite-
tracking device. 

In particular, the masters shall ensure that: 

– 

– 

– 

data are not altered in any way; 

the antenna or the antennas connected to the satellite tracking devices are not 
obstructed in any way; 

the power supply of the satellite tracking devices is not interrupted in any way; 
and 

– 

the satellite tracking devices are not removed from the vessel. 

It shall be prohibited for a Community fishing vessel to enter the Greenlandic EEZ 
without a functioning satellite tracking device. The Greenland authorities are entitled 
to suspend with immediate effect the license of Community fishing vessels entering 
the  Greenlandic  EEZ  without  functioning  satellite  tracking  devices.  The  Greenland 
authorities shall provide notice without delay to the vessel concerned. The European 
Commission  and  the  flag  Member  State  shall  be  notified  of  the  suspension  of 
licenses by the Greenland authorities without delay. 

Tracking  shall  have  a  position  error  which  shall  be  less  than  500  metres,  with  a 
confidence interval of 99%. 

When a vessel subject to satellite tracking enters into or exits from waters under the 
jurisdiction of the other Party, the Flag State shall forward to the relevant FMC of the 
other  Party  an  Entry  or  Exit  message  as  described  in  the  Annex.  These  messages 
shall  be  transmitted  without  delay  and  based  on  a  preceding  tracking  on  an  hourly 
basis. The tracking frequency by the Flag State FMC of a vessel being in the waters 

EN 

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6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

10. 

11. 

under the jurisdiction of the other Party, shall be on an hourly basis, or more frequent 
if the Parties so desire. 

When  a  vessel  has  moved  into  waters  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  other  Party,  the 
latest  position  message  from  the  vessel  will  be  communicated  from  the  Flag  State 
FMC  to  the  relevant  FMC  of  the  other  Party  without  delay  at  least  every  2 hours. 
These messages will be identified as Position messages as described in the Annex. 

It  shall  be  prohibited  for  a  vessel  to  switch  off  its  satellite  tracking  devices  when 
operating in waters under the jurisdiction of the other Party. 

When  the  satellite  tracking  device  has  transmitted  hourly  messages  with  the  same 
geographical  position  for  more  than  4 hours,  a  position  message  containing  the 
activity code "ANC" as described in the Annex may be sent. Such position messages 
may be transmitted with a frequency of once every 12 hours. Within less than 1 hour 
after the position has changed, the hourly reporting frequency will resume. 

Messages  according  to  paragraphs 5,  6  and  7  shall  be  in  computer  readable  form, 
utilising X 25 or other secure protocols, subject to prior agreement between relevant 
FMCs. 

The X 25 shall be replaced forthwith by HTTPS or other secure protocols as soon as 
NEAFC has decided on a replacement.  

In the event of technical failure or non-function of the satellite tracking device fitted 
on board a vessel, the master of the vessel shall communicate to his Flag State FMC 
information according to paragraph 7 in a timely manner. At least one position report 
per 4 hours shall be sufficient under such circumstances, as long as the vessel stays 
within the waters under the jurisdiction of the other Party. The Flag State FMC or the 
vessels  shall  forward  such  messages  to  the  FMC  of  the  other  Party  without  undue 
delay. 

Such faulty equipment shall be repaired or replaced before the vessel commences a 
new fishing trip. 

Exemptions may be made where it is evident that the equipment cannot be repaired 
or replaced for reasons outside the control of the master or the owner of the vessel. 

The  Flag  State  FMC  shall  monitor  the  tracking  of  its  vessels  when  in  the  waters 
under the jurisdiction of the other Party. Information shall be forwarded to the FMC 
of the other Party without delay in the event that it is discovered that the tracking of 
vessels does not function as agreed. 

In the event that a FMC discovers that information is not being communicated by the 
other party in accordance with paragraphs 5, 6 and 7, the other Party shall be notified 
without delay. 

The stored messages shall be transmitted as soon as electronic communication is re-
established between the relevant FMCs. 

Communication failures between FMCs shall not affect the operation of the vessels. 

EN 

32 

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12. 

13. 

14. 

15. 

Under  no  circumstances  shall  tracking  data  communicated  to  the  other  Party  in 
accordance  with  this  Agreement  be  disclosed  to  authorities,  other  than  control  and 
monitoring  authorities  in  such  a  form  that  the  identification  of  an  individual  vessel 
can be derived. 

The  FMCs  of  the  European  Community  shall  be  the  Flag  State  FMC  in  terms  of 
communicating messages and reports in accordance with paragraphs 5, 6 and 7 from 
the  European  Community  to  Greenland.  For  the  purpose  of  communicating  such 
reports  and  messages  from  Greenland  to  the  European  Community,  the  European 
Community FMC shall be the FMC of the Member State in whose waters the vessel 
is or has been operating. The FMC of Greenland is established at the controlling unit 
of  Directorate  of  Fisheries  (Greenland  Fisheries  Licence  Control  Authorities)  in 
Nuuk. 

The Parties shall exchange information concerning addresses and specifications that 
shall be used for electronic communication between their FMCs in accordance with 
paragraphs 5,  6  and  7.  Such  information  shall,  to  the  extent  available,  also  include 
names,  telephone  numbers  and  e-mail  addresses  that  can  be  useful  for  general 
communication between the FMCs. 

If a vessel as identified in paragraph 1 flying the flag of one of the Parties is observed 
within the jurisdiction of the other Part fishing or intending to fish, without having 
operational  satellite  tracking  device  on  board  and  without  messages  being 
communicated to that other Party, this vessel may be instructed to leave the waters of 
that  Party.  The  Parties  shall  establish  routines  concerning  the  exchange  of 
information in order to establish the factual situation causing such lack of messages. 
This exchange must seek to prevent the wrongful exclusion of vessel. 

16. 

Repeated  failure  to  comply  with  the  measures  hereby  provided  for  may  be 
considered a serious infringement. 

17. 

The Parties shall review these Conditions as appropriate. 

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Communication of VMS messages to the FMC of the other Party 

1) ″ENTRY″ message 

Data Element: 

Remarks: 

Field 

Mandatory / 

Code: 

Optional 

Start Record 

Address 

From 

Record Number 

Record Date 

Record Time 

Type of Message 

Radio Call Sign 

Internal Reference 

Number 

External  Registration 

Number 

Latitude 

Longitude 

Speed 

Course 

Date 

Time 

End of Record 

SR 

AD 

FR 

RN 

RD 

RT 

TM 

RC 

IR 

XR 

LT 

LG 

SP 

CO 

DA 

TI 

ER 

M 

M 

M 

O 

O 

O 

M 

M 

M 

O 

M 

M 

M 

M 

M 

M 

M 

System detail; indicates start of record 

Message detail; destination Party Alfa-3 ISO country code 

Message  detail;  the  transmitting  Party  Alfa-3  ISO  country 

code 

Message detail; serial number of the record in the relevant year 

Message detail; date of transmission 

Message detail; time of transmission 

Message detail; message type, “ENT”  

Vessel detail; international radio call sign of the vessel 

Vessel detail. Unique Party vessel number as Alfa-3 ISO flag 

country code followed by number 

Vessel detail; the side number of the vessel 

Position detail; position ± 99.999 (WGS-84) 

Position detail; position ±999.999 (WGS-84) 

Position detail; Vessel speed in tenths of knots 

Position detail; Vessel course 360 ° scale 

Position detail; UTC date of position (YYYYMMDD) 

Position detail; UTC time of position (HHMM) 

System detail; indicates end of the record 

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2) ″POSITION″ message/report 

Field 

Mandatory 

Code: 

/Optional 

Remarks: 

SR 

AD 

FR 

RN 

RD 

RT 

TM 

RC 

IR 

XR 

LT 

LG 

AC 

SP 

CO 

DA 

TI 

ER 

M 

M 

M 

O 

O 

O 

M 

M 

M 

O 

M 

M 

O 2 

M 

M 

M 

M 

M 

System detail; indicates start of record 

Message detail; destination Party Alfa-3 ISO country code 

Message detail; the transmitting Party Alfa-3 ISO country code 

Message detail; serial number of the record in the relevant year 

Message detail; date of transmission 

Message detail; time of transmission 

Message detail; message type, “POS”1 

Vessel detail; international radio call sign of the vessel 

Vessel detail. Unique Party vessel number as Alfa-3 ISO flag 

country code followed by number 

Vessel detail; the side number of the vessel 

Position detail; position ± 99.999 (WGS-84) 

Position detail; position ±999.999 (WGS-84) 

Position detail; “ANC” indicating reduced reporting mode 

Position detail; Vessel speed in tenths of knots 

Position detail; Vessel course 360 ° scale 

Position detail; UTC date of position (YYYYMMDD) 

Position detail; UTC time of position (HHMM) 

System detail; indicates end of the record 

Data Element: 

Start Record 

Address 

From 

Record Number 

Record Date 

Record Time 

Type of Message 

Radio Call Sign 

Internal Reference 

Number 

External  Registration 
Number 

Latitude 

Longitude 

Activity 

Speed 

Course 

Date 

Time 

End of Record 

1 

2 

Type  of  message  shall  be  “MAN”  for  reports  communicated  by  vessels  with  a  defective  satellite 
tracking device. 
Applicable only if the vessel is transmitting POS messages at a reduced frequency. 

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3) ″EXIT″ message 

Data Element: 

Remarks: 

Field 

Mandatory / 

Code: 

Optional 

Start Record 

Address 

From 

Record Number 

Record Date 

Record Time 

Type of Message 

Radio Call Sign 

Internal Reference 

Number 

External  Registration 
Number 

Date 

Time 

End of Record 

4) Format details 

SR 

AD 

FR 

RN 

RD 

RT 

TM 

RC 

IR 

XR 

DA 

TI 

ER 

M 

M 

M 

O 

O 

O 

M 

M 

M 

O 

M 

M 

M 

System detail; indicates start of record 

Message detail; destination Party Alfa-3 ISO country code 

Message detail; the transmitting Party Alfa-3 ISO country code 

Message detail; serial number of the record in the relevant year 

Message detail; date of transmission 

Message detail; time of transmission 

Message detail; message type, “EXI”  

Vessel detail; international radio call sign of the vessel 

Vessel  detail.  Unique  Party  vessel  number  as  Alfa-3  ISO  flag 

country code followed by number 

Vessel detail; the side number of the vessel 

Position detail; UTC date of position (YYYYMMDD) 

Position detail; UTC time of position (HHMM) 

System detail; indicates end of the record 

Each message in a data transmission is structured as follows: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

double slash (//) and the character “SR” indicates the start of a message, 

a double slash (//) and field code indicates the start of a data element,  

a single slash (/) separates the field code and the data, 

pairs of data are separated by space 

the character ER and a double slash (//) indicate the end of the record. 

All field codes in this Annex are in The North Atlantic Format as described in The NEAFC Scheme of Control 

and Enforcement. 

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METHODS AND CRITERIA FOR PROJECT ASSESSMENT FOR TEMPORARY JOINT VENTURES 
AND JOINT ENTERPRISES 

Appendix 3 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

The Parties shall exchange information on the projects presented for the formation of 
temporary  joint  ventures  and  joint  enterprises  according  to  Article  2  of  the 
Agreement.  

The  projects  shall  be  presented  to  the  Community  via  the  competent  authorities  of 
the Member State or Member States concerned.  

The  Community  shall  submit  to  the  Joint  Committee  a  list  of  projects  concerning 
temporary joint ventures and joint enterprises. The Joint Committee shall assess the 
projects in accordance inter alia with the following criteria: 

(a) 

technology appropriate to the proposed fishing operations; 

(b) 

target species and fishing zones; 

(c) 

age of the vessel; 

(d) 

(e) 

in  case  of  temporary  joint  ventures,  the  total  duration  and  that  of  fishing 
operations; 

previous experience of the Community ship owner and any Greenlandic partner 
in the fisheries sector. 

The Joint Committee shall issue an opinion on the projects following the assessment 
under point 3. 

In the case of temporary joint ventures, once the projects have received a favourable 
opinion from the Joint Committee, the Greenland Authority shall issue the necessary 
authorisations and fishing licences. 

CONDITIONS CONCERNING ACCESS TO RESOURCES OF TEMPORARY JOINT VENTURES IN 
GREENLAND 

1. 

Licences 

The  fishing  licences  to  be  issued  by  Greenland  shall  have  a  validity  equal  to  the 
duration of the temporary joint ventures. Fishing shall take place on quotas allocated 
by the Greenland Authority. 

2. 

Replacement of vessels 

A Community vessel operating under a temporary joint venture may be replaced by 
another Community vessel with equivalent capacity and technical specifications only 
on duly justified grounds and with the agreement of the parties. 

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3. 

Fitting-out 

Vessels  operating  under  temporary  joint  ventures  shall  comply  with  the  rules  and 
regulations  applicable  in  Greenland  regarding  fitting-out,  which  regulation  shall  be 
applied without discrimination between Greenland and Community vessels. 

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Appendix 4 

DETAILS OF IMPLEMENTATION FOR EXPERIMENTAL FISHERIES 

The Home Rule Government of Greenland and the European Commission shall jointly decide 
on the European Community operators, the most suitable time as well as the arrangements for 
the implementation of experimental fisheries. In order to facilitate the exploratory work of the 
vessels, the Home Rule Government of Greenland (through the Greenland Institute of Natural 
resources) shall provide existing scientific and other basic information. 

The Greenland fishing industry shall be closely associated (co-ordination and dialogue on the 
arrangements for experimental fisheries). 

Length of the campaigns: maximum six month and minimum three month, unless changed by 
the parties in agreement. 

Selection of candidates for the implementation of the experimental campaigns: 

The  European  Commission  shall  communicate  to  the  Greenland  authorities  the  requests  for 
licences for experimental fishery. A technical dossier specifying: 

– 

– 

– 

the technical characteristics of the vessel; 

the level of expertise on the fishery of the ship officers; 

the proposal for the technical parameters of the campaign (length , gear, exploration 
regions etc. ) 

The  Home  Rule  Government  of  Greenland  shall  organise  a  technical  dialogue  between  the 
administrations of Greenland and the Community authorities with the ship-owners concerned, 
if it considers this necessary. 

Before  the  beginning  of  the  campaign,  the  vessel  owners  shall  submit  to  the  Greenland 
authorities and to the European Commission: 

– 

– 

– 

a declaration of the catches already on board; 

the technical characteristics of the fishing gear to be used for the campaign; 

an assurance that they comply with the Greenland Regulations for fisheries; 

During the campaign at sea, the owners of the vessels concerned shall: 

– 

provide the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, the Greenland authorities and 
the  European  Commission  with  a  weekly  report  on  catches  per  day  and  by  haul, 
including  the  description  of  the  campaign’s  technical  parameters  (position,  depth, 
date and time, catches and other observations or comments); 

– 

communicate the vessel’s position, speed and heading by VMS; 

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– 

– 

– 

ensure the presence on board of one Greenlandic scientific observer or an observer 
chosen  by  the  Greenland  authorities.  The  role  of  the  observer  will  be  to  gather 
scientific  information  from  the  catches,  as  well  as  to  sample  the  catches.  The 
observer  shall  be  treated  as  a  ship’s  officer  and  the  vessel-owner  shall  cover  the 
living  costs  of  the  observer  during  his  stay  on  the  vessel.  The  decision  on  the 
observer’s  time  on  board,  the  length  of  his  stay,  the  boarding  and  landing  harbour 
will be fixed in agreement with the Greenland authorities. Unless there is agreement 
between  the  parties  to  the  contrary,  the  vessel  will  never  be  obliged  to  put  into 
harbour more than once per two month; 

submit  the  vessels  to  inspection  on  leaving  the  Greenlandic  EEZ  if  the  Greenland 
authorities so request;  

ensure that they comply with the Greenland Regulations for fisheries; 

The  catches  consistent  with  and  obtained  during  the  experimental  campaign  remain  the 
property of the vessel-owner. 

The catches consistent with the experimental campaign shall be established by the Greenland 
authorities prior to the commencement of each campaign and made available to the master of 
the vessel(s) concerned. 

The  Greenland  authorities  will  designate  a  contact  person  responsible  for  addressing  any 
unforeseen problems that might hinder the development of the experimental fisheries. 

The  Greenland  authorities  will  prior  to  the  commencement  of  each  campaign  present  the 
details and conditions of the experimental fishing campaigns in accordance with article 9 and 
10 of the Agreement and in accordance with Greenlandic law. 

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