Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 700/2012

of 30 July 2012

operating deductions from fishing quotas available for certain stocks in 2012 on account of overfishing in the previous years

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 of 20 November 2009 establishing a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the common fisheries policy, amending Regulations (EC) No 847/96, (EC) No 2371/2002, (EC) No 811/2004, (EC) No 768/2005, (EC) No 2115/2005, (EC) No 2166/2005, (EC) No 388/2006, (EC) No 509/2007, (EC) No 676/2007, (EC) No 1098/2007, (EC) No 1300/2008, (EC) No 1342/2008 and repealing Regulations (EEC) No 2847/93, (EC) No 1627/94 and (EC) No 1966/20061, and in particular Article 105(1), (2) and (3) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)Fishing quotas for the year 2011 have been established by:
  • Council Regulation (EU) No 1124/2010 of 29 November 2010 fixing for 2011 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Baltic Sea2,
  • Council Regulation (EU) No 1225/2010 of 13 December 2010 fixing for 2011 and 2012 the fishing opportunities for EU vessels for fish stocks of certain deep-sea fish species3,
  • Council Regulation (EU) No 1256/2010 of 17 December 2010 fixing the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks applicable in the Black Sea for 20114 and,
  • Council Regulation (EU) No 57/2011 of 18 January 2011 fixing for 2011 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in EU waters and, for EU vessels, in certain non-EU waters5.
(2)Fishing quotas for the year 2012 have been established by:

  • Regulation (EU) No 1225/2010,

  • Council Regulation (EU) No 716/2011 of 19 July 2011 establishing the fishing opportunities for anchovy in the Bay of Biscay for the 2011/2012 fishing season6,
  • Council Regulation (EU) No 1256/2011 of 30 November 2011 fixing for 2012 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Baltic Sea and amending Regulation (EU) No 1124/20107,
  • Council Regulation (EU) No 5/2012 of 19 December 2011 fixing for 2012 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Black Sea8,
  • Council Regulation (EU) No 43/2012 of 17 January 2012 fixing for 2012 the fishing opportunities available to EU vessels for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks which are not subject to international negotiations or agreements9 and,
  • Council Regulation (EU) No 44/2012 of 17 January 2012 fixing for 2012 the fishing opportunities available in EU waters and, to EU vessels, in certain non-EU waters for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks which are subject to international negotiations or agreements10.
(3)

According to Article 105(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009, when the Commission has established that a Member State has exceeded the fishing quotas which have been allocated to it, the Commission is to operate deductions from future fishing quotas of that Member State.

(4)

Article 105(2) and (3) of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 provide that such deductions shall be operated in the following year or years by applying certain multiplying factors as set out therein.

(5)

Certain Member States have exceeded their fishing quotas for the year 2011. It is therefore appropriate to operate deductions on the fishing quotas allocated to them in 2012 and, where appropriate, in subsequent years, for the overfished stocks.

(6)
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1016/2011 of 23 September 2011 operating deductions from fishing quotas available for certain stocks in 2011, on account of overfishing of those stocks in the previous year11 and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1021/2011 of 14 October 2011 operating deductions from fishing quotas available for certain stocks in 2011, on account of overfishing of other stocks in the previous year12 have operated deductions from fishing quotas for certain countries and species for 2011. However, for certain Member States the deductions to be applied were higher than their respective 2011 quota and could therefore not be operated entirely in that year. To ensure that also in such cases the full amount be deducted, the remaining quantities should be taken into account when establishing deductions from 2012 and, where appropriate, subsequent quotas.
(7)Deductions provided by this Regulation should apply without prejudice to deductions applicable to 2012 quotas pursuant to:
  • Commission Regulation (EC) No 147/2007 of 15 February 2007 adapting certain fish quotas from 2007 to 2012 pursuant to Article 23(4) of Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002 on the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources under the Common Fisheries Policy13, and
  • Commission Regulation (EU) No 165/2011 of 22 February 2011 providing for deductions from certain mackerel quotas allocated to Spain in 2011 and subsequent years on account of overfishing in 201014.
(8)

Where the deductions cannot be applied because the quota is not or not sufficiently available to the Member State concerned, the provisions of Article 105(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 will apply,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: