THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 847/96 of 6 May 1996 introducing additional conditions for year-to-year management of TACs and quotas, and in particular Article 4(2) thereof,
Whereas:
(1)
According to Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 847/96, Member States may ask the Commission, before 31 October of the year of application of a fishing quota allocated to them, to withhold a maximum of 10 % of that quota to be transferred to the following year. The Commission is to add to the relevant quota the quantity withheld.
(2)
For the 2011/2012 fishing season, Council Regulation (EU) No 716/2011 allocated to France a quota of 2 970 tonnes of anchovy in the Bay of Biscay.
(3)
However, taking into account exchanges of fishing opportunities in accordance with Article 20(5) of Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002, quota transfers in accordance with Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 and/or reallocation and deduction of fishing opportunities in accordance with Articles 37 and 105 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009, the quota available to France for that stock during the 2011-2012 fishing season amounted to 6 362 tonnes.
(4)
At the end of that fishing season France reported catches of anchovy in the Bay of Biscay for a total amount of 4 198 tonnes.
(5)
France has requested pursuant to Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 that part of its anchovy’s quota for the 2011-2012 fishing season be withheld and transferred to the following fishing season. Within the limits indicated by that Regulation, the quantities withheld should be added to the quota established by Council Regulation (EU) No 694/2012 for the 2012-2013 fishing season.
(6)
The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: