Council Regulation (EC) No 3317/94 of 22 December 1994 laying down general provisions concerning the authorisation of fishing in the waters of a third country under a fisheries agreement1 establishes the procedure for the authorisation of fishing activities of Community fishing vessels in the waters under the jurisdiction of third countries, pursuant to fisheries agreements concluded between the Community and third countries. The procedure established in that Regulation is no longer considered to serve the needs with regard to international obligations deriving from bilateral fisheries agreements and multilateral agreements and conventions adopted in the framework of regional fisheries management organisations (RFMO) or similar arrangements. Moreover, the Regulation no longer suffices to serve the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), in particular with regard to sustainable fisheries and control.
(2)
Following the 2006-2008 Action plan for simplifying and improving the Common Fisheries Policy, presented in the Communication from the Commission to the Council and Parliament of 8 December 2005, and the changed circumstances for fisheries outside Community waters since the adoption of Regulation (EC) No 3317/94, and in order to comply with international obligations, it is necessary to introduce a general Community system for the authorisation of all fishing activities of Community fishing vessels outside Community waters. Moreover, the rules for access of fishing vessels flying the flag of a third country to Community waters, as currently laid down in other different legal instruments, should be redefined and, as far as appropriate, aligned with the rules applicable to Community fishing vessels.
(3)
Community fishing vessels should be allowed to engage in fishing activities outside Community waters only after having been authorised by the competent authority responsible for the authorisation of the fishing activities concerned, such as the competent authority of the third country in whose waters the fishing activities take place, the authority competent for authorising fishing activities in international waters covered by provisions adopted in the framework of an RFMO or similar arrangement, or, where it concerns fishing activities on the high seas not regulated by any agreement, the competent authorities of the Member States without prejudice to specific Community legislation concerning fishing activities on the high-seas.
(4)
It is important to clearly spell out the responsibilities of the Commission and Member States regarding the procedure for the authorisation of fishing activities of Community fishing vessels outside Community waters. In this respect the Commission should be in a position to ensure that international obligations and provisions of the CFP are complied with, that the requests for transmission of applications are complete and that they are transmitted in accordance with the deadlines established under the agreements concerned.
(5)
Community fishing vessels should be considered eligible for authorisation for any fishing activity outside Community waters only in so far as a number of criteria related to the international obligations entered into by the Community as well as to the rules and objectives of the CFP are satisfied.
(6)
Where the Council procedure for adopting a decision on the provisional application of a new protocol to a bilateral fisheries agreement with a third country allocating the fishing opportunities between the Member States cannot be finalised before the date of this provisional application the Commission should be allowed, on a temporary basis, in order to avoid any interruption of fishing activities by Community vessels, to transmit to the third country applications for fishing authorisations in the six months following the expiry of the previous protocol.
(7)
In order to ensure that the fishing opportunities available to the Community under the Fisheries Partnership Agreements are used in full, it is necessary that the Commission be empowered to temporarily reallocate fishing opportunities not used by one Member State to another Member State, without affecting the allocation or the exchange of fishing opportunities amongst the Member States under the protocol in question.
(8)
Fisheries Partnership Agreements are those agreements as referred to in the Council conclusions of 15 July 2004 and which, at the time of their conclusion or provisional application, were described as such by the Council.
(9)
Provisions on control of utilisation of fishing opportunities allocated to Community fishing vessels outside Community waters and of fishing opportunities allocated to third country fishing vessels within Community waters should be aligned and should allow for timely action to prevent Member States and third countries from exceeding those opportunities.
(10)
For the consistent and effective prosecution of infringements, the possibility should be provided to make full use of inspection and surveillance reports drawn up by Commission inspectors, Community inspectors, inspectors of Member States and of third countries.
(11)
All data relating to the fishing activities of Community fishing vessels outside Community waters pursuant to fisheries agreements, should be up-to-date and, as far as appropriate, accessible to the Member States and third countries concerned. For this purpose, it is necessary to establish a Community fishing authorisation information system.
(12)
The measures necessary for the implementation of this Regulation should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission (1). Those rules may also provide for exemptions from the obligations laid down in this Regulation where those obligations would create a disproportionate burden compared to the economic importance of the activity and, for the sake of efficiency, such exemptions should be adopted by the management procedure set out in Article 4 of Decision 1999/468/EC.
(13)
Regulation (EC) No 3317/94 as well as the provisions relating to access of third country fishing vessels to Community waters set out in Council Regulation (EC) No 1627/94 of 27 June 1994 laying down general provisions concerning special fishing permits (2) and Council Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 of 12 October 1993 establishing a control system applicable to the common fisheries policy (3), should be repealed,
