THAT THE PARTIES TO THE LONDON CONVENTION WERE AWARE OF THE EXISTENCE OF MUTUAL COMMITMENTS WITH REGARD TO FISHERIES ASSUMED WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE COMMUNITY BY ITS MEMBER STATES AND THAT THEY HAD APPROVED THE PRINCIPLE OF CONSERVATION MEASURES AND RECOGNIZED THE NEED TO ADOPT APPROPRIATE RULES TO ENFORCE THEM IN THE ZONE REFERRED TO IN THE CONVENTION . CONSEQUENTLY THE PARTIES MUST HAVE KNOWN THAT AS FROM A PARTICULAR TIME THE POWER TO ADOPT CONSERVATION MEASURES UNDER ARTICLE 5 OF THE CONVENTION WOULD , AS FAR AS THE MEMBER STATES OF THE COMMUNITY WERE CONCERNED , BE EXERCISED BY THE COMMUNITY INSTITUTIONS .
14 IT IS APPROPRIATE NEXT TO CONSIDER IN WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES THE COMMUNITY WAS INDUCED TO ADOPT MEASURES FOR THE CONSERVATION OF FISHERY RESOURCES AND TO ENVISAGE THE CONSEQUENCES OF SUCH MEASURES FOR SPANISH FISHERMEN .
15 THE SCHEME FOR THE CONSERVATION OF THE RESOURCES OF THE SEA WAS ESTABLISHED BY THE COMMUNITY AT A TIME WHEN INTERNATIONAL LAW IN RELATION TO FISHING WAS UNDERGOING PROFOUND CHANGES . IT WAS IN ORDER TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE GENERAL DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNATIONAL LAW AT THAT TIME THAT THE MEMBER STATES DECIDED , BY CONCERTED ACTION AGREED UPON WITHIN THE COUNCIL , TO EXTEND THEIR FISHING LIMITS TO 200 MILES FROM THE BASELINES . BY A RESOLUTION OF 3 NOVEMBER 1976 ON CERTAIN EXTERNAL ASPECTS OF THE CREATION OF A 200-MILE FISHING ZONE IN THE COMMUNITY WITH EFFECT FROM 1 JANUARY 1977 ( PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL JOURNAL 1981 C 105 , P . 1 ), THE COUNCIL , HAVING STRESSED THE NEED FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION BY THE COMMUNITY TO PROTECT ITS LEGITIMATE INTERESTS IN THE SEA AREAS MOST THREATENED AS A RESULT OF THE EXTENSION OF FISHING LIMITS BY NON-MEMBER COUNTRIES , DECIDED THAT AS FROM 1 JANUARY 1977 THE EXPLOITATION OF FISHERY RESOURCES IN THOSE AREAS BY FISHING VESSELS OF NON-MEMBER COUNTRIES WAS TO BE GOVERNED BY AGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY AND THE NON-MEMBER COUNTRIES CONCERNED .
16 IN THE SAME RESOLUTION , THE COUNCIL INSTRUCTED THE COMMISSION TO START NEGOTIATIONS IMMEDIATELY WITH THE NON-MEMBER COUNTRIES AFFECTED BY THE COMMUNITY CONSERVATION MEASURES , WITH A VIEW TO RECONCILING THE NEEDS OF CONSERVATION WITH THE INTERESTS OF FISHERMEN TRADITIONALLY OPERATING IN THE WATERS IN QUESTION . NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE COMMISSION AND SPAIN WERE COMMENCED ON 3 DECEMBER 1976 . THEY LED TO THE AGREEMENT ON FISHERIES BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY AND THE GOVERNMENT OF SPAIN , WHICH WAS INITIALLED ON 23 SEPTEMBER 1978 AND SIGNED ON 15 APRIL 1980 ( OFFICIAL JOURNAL 1980 C 263 , P . 1 ).
17 PENDING THE OUTCOME OF THOSE NEGOTIATIONS , AND TO MEET AN URGENT NEED , THE COMMUNITY , AS SOON AS IT HAD DEFINED ITS CONSERVATION POLICY , ADOPTED A NUMBER OF INTERIM PROVISIONS , APPLICABLE FOR SHORT PERIODS , EXTENDING THE COMMUNITY SYSTEM OF CATCH QUOTAS TO ALL FISHERMEN OF NON-MEMBER COUNTRIES , INCLUDING THE SPANISH .
18 THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE COMMISSION SHOWS THAT