. IT ASKED THE COURT TO GIVE A PRELIMINARY RULING ON THAT QUESTION .
8 IT SHOULD FIRST BE OBSERVED THAT , AS THE COURT HAS ALREADY STATED IN EARLIER CASES , FOR EXAMPLE IN ITS JUDGMENT OF 14 JULY 1976 ( JOINED CASES 3 , 4 AND 6/76 KRAMER ( 1976 ) ECR 1279 ), IT IS CLEAR FROM THE CORPUS OF COMMUNITY LAW APPLICABLE TO FISHING THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS , AT INTERNAL LEVEL , THE POWER TO TAKE ANY MEASURES FOR THE CONSERVATION OF THE LIVING RESOURCES OF THE SEA , INCLUDING MEASURES FIXING CATCH QUOTAS , AND THAT , ACCORDINGLY , IT IS ALSO COMPETENT TO ENTER INTO INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENTS PURSUING THAT OBJECTIVE .
9 HOWEVER , IN THE ABOVE-MENTIONED JUDGMENT THE COURT ADDED THAT , IN THE PERIOD BEFORE THE COMMUNITY FULLY EXERCISED ITS FUNCTIONS IN THIS FIELD , THE MEMBER STATES HAD THE POWER TO ASSUME CERTAIN INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENTS RELATING TO THE CONSERVATION OF THE LIVING RESOURCES OF THE SEA AND THAT THEY WERE ENTITLED TO ENSURE FULFILMENT OF THOSE COMMITMENTS WITHIN THE AREA OF THEIR JURISDICTION . IN THE SAME JUDGMENT THE COURT MADE CLEAR THAT THE MEMBER STATES ' POWERS IN THAT RESPECT WERE PURELY TRANSITIONAL IN CHARACTER AND LAPSED UPON EXPIRY OF THE PERIOD OF 6 YEARS STIPULATED IN ARTICLE 102 OF THE ACT OF ACCESSION OF 1972 , THAT IS TO SAY ON 31 DECEMBER 1978 . DURING THAT PERIOD , THE COMMUNITY INSTITUTIONS HAD IN FACT TO DETERMINE THE CONDITIONS SUBJECT TO WHICH FISHING MIGHT BE CARRIED ON WITH A VIEW TO ENSURING PROTECTION OF STOCKS AND CONSERVATION OF THE LIVING RESOURCES OF THE SEA .
10 THE LONDON CONVENTION WAS RATIFIED BY FRANCE ON 5 JULY 1965 , THAT IS TO SAY AT A TIME WHEN THE COMMUNITY HAD NOT YET ADOPTED ANY REGULATIONS ON SEA FISHING . THEREFORE , FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF COMMUNITY LAW , FRANCE COULD VALIDLY SIGN THAT CONVENTION AND ALSO THE BILATERAL AGREEMENT OF 1967 WITH SPAIN WHICH , ACCORDING TO PARAGRAPH V THEREOF AND ACCORDING TO THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT , WAS CONCLUDED IN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONVENTION .
11 IN THAT CONTEXT , THE QUESTION RAISED BY THE NATIONAL COURT SEEKS THEREFORE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENTS THUS ASSUMED BY FRANCE AFFECT THE VALIDITY , AND ENFORCEABILITY AGAINST SPANISH NATIONALS , OF THE COMMUNITY REGULATIONS WHICH LAID DOWN INTERIM MEASURES FOR THE CONSERVATION OF FISHERY RESOURCES AS FROM FEBRUARY 1977 AND WHICH AMENDED THE DETAILED RULES GOVERNING FISHING OPERATIONS CARRIED ON BY SPANISH VESSELS IN THE 6 TO 12-MILE ZONE .
12 IT SHOULD BE OBSERVED IN THE FIRST PLACE THAT ARTICLE 10 OF THE LONDON CONVENTION PRESCRIBES THAT NO PROVISION THEREOF IS TO PREVENT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SPECIAL REGIME IN MATTERS OF FISHERIES AS BETWEEN MEMBER STATES OF THE COMMUNITY , WHILST ARTICLE 5 ALLOWS COASTAL STATES , IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES , TO ENFORCE CONSERVATION MEASURES WITHIN THE 6 TO 12-MILE ZONE .
13 IT THUS APPEARS