The Agreement for the establishment of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (‘the GFCM Agreement’) provides an appropriate framework for multilateral cooperation to promote the development, conservation, rational management and best utilisation of living marine resources in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea at levels which are considered sustainable and at low risk of collapse.
(2)
One of the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), as set out in Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3), is to ensure that fishing and aquaculture activities are environmentally sustainable in the long term and are managed in a way that is consistent with the objectives of achieving economic, social and employment benefits, and of contributing to the availability of food supplies.
(3)
The Union, as well as Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Malta, Romania and Slovenia, are contracting parties to the GFCM Agreement.
(4)
Recommendations adopted by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (‘the GFCM’) are binding on its contracting parties. As the Union is a contracting party to the GFCM Agreement, those recommendations are binding on the Union and should therefore be implemented in Union law unless their content is already covered thereby.
(5)
Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4) lays down certain provisions for fishing in the GFCM Agreement area. It is the appropriate legislative act for implementing the content of GFCM recommendations adopted by the GFCM and not yet covered by Union law.
(6)
At its Annual Session in 2015, the GFCM adopted Recommendation GFCM/39/2015/2 on the establishment of a set of minimum standards for bottom trawling fisheries on demersal stocks in the Strait of Sicily. Those standards include technical conservation measures for deep-water rose shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris) and hake (Merluccius merluccius). Parts of those measures are already contained in Annex III to Council Regulation (EC) No 1967/2006 (5) on minimum conservation reference sizes of the species concerned. However, the measures concerning fleet management contained in Recommendation 39/2015/2 should be implemented in Union law by means of Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011.
(7)
At its Annual Session in 2015, the GFCM adopted Recommendation GFCM/39/2015/3 on the establishment of a set of measures to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in turbot (Psetta maxima) fisheries in the Black Sea. Most of those measures are already provided for in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/218 (6), Council Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 (7), Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 (8), Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011, Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013, and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 404/2011 (9). A number of fleet management measures laid down in Recommendation 39/2015/3 are not covered by Union legislation and should therefore be implemented in Union law by means of Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011.
(8)
At its Annual Session in 2015, the GFCM adopted Recommendation GFCM/39/2015/4 on management measures for piked dogfish in the Black Sea introducing a minimum conservation reference size for the species concerned.
(9)
At its Annual Session in 2016, the GFCM adopted Recommendation GFCM/40/2016/4, establishing a multiannual management plan for the fisheries exploiting European hake and deep-water rose shrimp in the Strait of Sicily (geographical subareas (GSAs) 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16). Some of the elements of that multiannual plan are already provided for in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/218 and Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013. Nevertheless, certain measures laid down in Recommendation 40/2016/4 are not covered by Union legislation and should therefore be implemented in Union law by means of Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011.
(10)
At its Annual Session in 2017, the GFCM adopted Recommendation GFCM/41/2017/2 on the management of blackspot seabream fisheries in the Alboran Sea (geographical subareas 1, 2, 3) for a two-year transition period. The operational objective of that Recommendation is to maintain fishing mortality for blackspot seabream within agreed precautionary reference points and to achieve or maintain the maximum sustainable yield as soon as possible.
(11)
At its Annual Session in 2017, the GFCM adopted Recommendation GFCM/41/2017/3 on the establishment of a fisheries restricted area in the Jabuka/Pomo Pit in the Adriatic Sea.
(12)
At its Annual Session in 2017, the GFCM adopted Recommendation GFCM/41/2017/4 on a multiannual management plan for turbot fisheries in the Black Sea (GSA 29). The Recommendation establishes a set of management measures, technical measures, fleet measures and control measures, as a pilot project to fight turbot IUU fishing in Black Sea. Some of the elements of that multiannual plan are already provided for in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/218, Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008, Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009, Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011, Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 and Implementing Regulation (EU) No 404/2011. Nevertheless, certain measures laid down in Recommendation 41/2017/4 are not covered by Union legislation and should therefore be implemented in Union law by means of Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011.
(13)
At its Annual Session in 2017, the GFCM adopted Recommendation GFCM/41/2017/5 on the establishment of a regional adaptive management plan for the exploitation of red coral in the Mediterranean Sea.
(14)
At its Annual Session in 2017, the GFCM adopted Recommendation GFCM/41/2017/8 on an international joint inspection and surveillance scheme outside the waters under national jurisdiction of GSAs 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 (Strait of Sicily) to which Member States may decide to participate. To ensure compliance with the CFP, Union legislation has been adopted to establish a system of control, inspection and enforcement, which includes the fight against IUU activities. In particular, Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 establishes a Union system for control, inspection and enforcement with a global and integrated approach so as to ensure compliance with all the rules of the CFP. Implementing Regulation (EU) No 404/2011 lays down detailed rules for the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009. Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 establishes a Community system to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing. Those Regulations already provide for a number of the measures laid down in Recommendation GFCM/41/2017/8. It is therefore not necessary to include those measures in this Regulation. Nevertheless, certain measures laid down in that Recommendation are not covered by Union legislation and should therefore be implemented in Union law by means of Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011.
(15)
Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011 should therefore be amended accordingly,
