CELEX: C2004/094/42
Language: en
Date: 2004-04-17 00:00:00
Title: Case C-64/04Action brought on 13 February 2004 by the Commission of the European Communities against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

17.4.2004   
            
            
               EN
            
            
               Official Journal of the European Union
            
            
               C 94/20
            
         Action brought on 13 February 2004 by the Commission of the European Communities against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
   (Case C-64/04)
   (2004/C 94/42)
   An action against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was brought before the Court of Justice of the European Communities on 13 February 2004 by the Commission of the European Communities, represented by T. van Rijn and B. Doherty, acting as agents, with an address for service in Luxembourg.
   The Applicant claims that the Court should:
   
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               declare that the United Kingdom, by having failed to withdraw the fishing licences of the fishing vessels known as CLEOPATRA and OCEAN QUEST after their permanent transfer to Argentina, has breached Article 5 of Regulation (EC) 3690/93 (1) of 20 December 1993 establishing a Community system laying down rules for the minimum information to be contained in fishing licences;
            
         
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               order the United Kingdom to pay the costs.
            
         Pleas in law and main arguments:
   Following the transfer of two fishing vessels to Argentina the United Kingdom failed to withdraw the fishing licences for those vessels. The aforementioned licences have been re-used for other vessels.
   The Commission takes the view that the permanent transfer of a vessel to Argentina can be equated with permanent withdrawal, as referred to in article 5 of Regulation 3690/93. It therefore submits that the United Kingdom has contravened the obligation incumbent upon it, laid down in the aforementioned article, to withdraw the fishing licences of vessels which are subject to definitive withdrawal from fishing activities.
   
      (1)  OJ 1993 L 341, p. 93