Commission Regulation (EC) No 1461/2003 of 18 August 2003 laying down conditions for pilot projects for the electronic transmission of information on fishing activities and for remote sensing

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1461/2003
of 18 August 2003
laying down conditions for pilot projects for the electronic transmission of information on fishing activities and for remote sensing
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002 of 20 December 2002 on the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources under the Common Fisheries Policy(1), and in particular Article 22(3) and Article 23(5) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002 requires the Council to decide in 2004 on the obligations to transmit electronically the information on fishing activities in order to improve the efficiency on management of fishing opportunities and to set up a means of remote sensing in order to detect fishing vessels at sea.
(2) Pilot projects relating respectively to the electronic transmission of information on fishing activities and to the remote sensing, can be carried out, in cooperation with the Commission, in order to assess the technology to be used, before 1 June 2004.
(3) It is therefore necessary, in order to ensure that Member States carry out these pilot projects, to lay down the conditions of application. In particular those conditions should cover, as regards the electronic transmission of information, the information to be recorded and reported by electronic means, and the functions of the systems on board the fishing vessels which record and transmit electronically the information concerned. As regards remote sensing, the conditions should also cover the functions of this system and the areas to be monitored during the pilot projects.
(4) The Commission needs to be informed by the Member States of the progress and the results of the pilot projects, in particular in order to assess the cost-effectiveness of the technologies to be used for improving the effectiveness of fisheries control.
(5) A financial contribution by the Community may be granted in respect of the pilot projects carried out by the Member States, under the conditions set out in Council Decision 2001/431/EC of 28 May 2001 on a financial contribution by the Community to certain expenditure incurred by the Member States in implementing the control, inspection and surveillance systems applicable to the common fisheries policy(2).
(6) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee of Fisheries and Aquaculture,