On 15 November 2007 the Council adopted Council Regulation (EC) No 31/2008 on the conclusion of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Madagascar1 (the ‘Agreement’). The current protocol expires on 31 December 2014.

A new Protocol2 to the Agreement was initialled on 19 June 2014 (the ‘Protocol’). The Protocol grants EU vessels fishing opportunities in the fishing zone over which the Republic of Madagascar exercises its jurisdiction.

On 15 December 2014 the Council adopted Decision 2014/929/EU3 on the signing and provisional application of the Protocol.

It is appropriate to define the method for allocating the fishing opportunities among the Member States for the period of application of the Protocol.

Article 10(1) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1006/20084 provides that the Commission will inform the Member States concerned if it transpires that the fishing opportunities allocated to the Union under the Protocol are not fully exhausted. If no reply is received within a time limit to be set by the Council, this will be considered as confirmation that the vessels of the Member State concerned are not making full use of their fishing opportunities during the period in question. The deadline should be set by the Council.

To ensure continued fishing activities by Union vessels, Article 15 of the Protocol provides for the possibility of the Protocol being applied on a provisional basis by each of the Parties, from the date of its signature and from 1 January 2015 at the earliest.

This Regulation should apply from the date of signature of the Protocol and from 1 January 2015 at the earliest,