TITLE II

FISHING OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNION FISHING VESSELS
CHAPTER IV

Fishing opportunities in waters of regional fisheries management organisations

Quota transfers and exchanges
Article 21
1
Where, under the rules of a regional fisheries management organisation (‘RFMO’), quota transfers or exchanges between the Contracting Parties to the RFMO are permitted, a Member State (‘the Member State concern’) may discuss with a Contracting Party to the RFMO and, as appropriate, establish a possible outline of an intended quota transfer or exchange.
2
Upon notification to the Commission by the Member State concerned, the Commission may endorse the outline of the intended quota transfer or exchange that the Member State has discussed with the relevant Contracting Party to the RFMO. Thereupon, the Commission shall exchange, without undue delay, the consent to be bound by such quota transfer or exchange with the relevant Contracting Party to the RFMO. The Commission shall notify the secretariat of the RFMO of the agreed quota transfer or exchange in accordance with the rules of that organisation.
3
The Commission shall inform the Member States of the agreed quota transfer or exchange.
4
The fishing opportunities received from or transferred to the relevant Contracting Party to the RFMO under the quota transfer or exchange shall be deemed to be quotas allocated to, or deducted from, the allocation of the Member State concerned, as of the moment that the quota transfer or exchange takes effect in accordance with the terms of the agreement reached with the relevant Contracting Party to the RFMO or in accordance with the rules of the relevant RFMO, as appropriate. Such allocation shall not change the existing distribution key for the purpose of allocating fishing opportunities among Member States in accordance with the principle of relative stability of fishing activities.
5
This Article shall apply until
31 January 2017
for quota transfers from a RFMO Contracting Party to the Union and their subsequent allocation to Member States.
Inserted by Council Regulation (EU) 2016/1252 of 28 July 2016 amending Regulations (EU) 2016/72 and (EU) 2015/2072 as regards certain fishing opportunities.