Commission Regulation (EC) No 2104/2004

of 9 December 2004

laying down detailed implementing rules for Council Regulation (EC) No 639/2004 on the management of fishing fleets registered in the Community outermost regions

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 Policy1, and in particular Article 11(5) thereof,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 639/2004 of 30 March 2004 on the management of fishing fleets registered in the Community outermost regions2, and in particular Article 1(2) and Article 4(3) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)
Regulation (EC) No 639/2004 lays down derogations for the management of fishing fleets in the outermost regions until 31 December 2006. These derogations relate to the entry/exit schemes referred to in Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002, and the aid for the renewal and modernisation of the fleet referred to in Council Regulation (EC) No 2792/19993.
(2)

Under Regulation (EC) No 639/2004, for France and Portugal the specific reference levels for the fleet segments registered in the outermost regions are the multiannual guidance programme (MAGP IV) objectives at the end of 2002.

(3)

For the Canary Islands, the specific reference levels are to be fixed using an approach similar to that used to fix the MAGP IV objectives, taking into account the limits of the fishing opportunities available to the fleets in question. To this end the Scientific Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) delivered an opinion in its March/April 2004 session report on the fishing opportunities of fleets registered in the Canary Islands. Spain and the Commission have also examined the fishing opportunities of fleets registered to the Canary Islands and active under bilateral and multilateral agreements. According to the Commission, none of these examinations or reports has revealed any possibility of expansion of the fleets currently registered in the Canary Islands.

(4)
The Member States must report on changes in the fleets registered in the outermost regions in the annual report referred to in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1438/2003 of 12 August 2003 laying down implementing rules on the Community Fleet Policy as defined in Chapter III of Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/20024.
(5)
The Commission has taken account of its declaration in the margins of the Council of 30 March 20045 on the detailed implementing rules for Regulation (EC) No 639/2004, in particular as regards the most appropriate segmentation in relation to types of fishing, scientific opinions on the state of targeted stocks and similar treatment of fleets operating on the same fisheries.
(6)

This Regulation must apply from the date of application of Regulation (EC) No 639/2004.

(7)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: