Regulation 2008/744 - Temporary specific action aiming to promote the restructuring of the EC fishing fleets affected by the economic crisis - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 202/1

Council Regulation (EC) No 1198/2006 of 27 July 2006 on the European Fisheries Fund (2) lays down the rules regarding Community structural assistance in the fisheries sector. In particular, Chapter I of Title IV of that Regulation lays down the terms on which the Member States may receive a financial contribution from the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) for the measures for the adaptation of the Community fishing fleet.

The EFF aims to contribute to the steps that have been taken since the 2002 reform of the common fisheries policy (CFP) in view of reducing pressure on fish stocks, whilst ensuring sustainable social and economic conditions for the sector concerned.

In the context of the recent economic situation, following in particular the drastic increase in fuel prices, there is an impending need to take additional measures aiming for a more rapid adaptation of the Community fishing fleet to the current situation, addressing the need to ensure sustainable social and economic conditions for the sector concerned. Such measures should contribute to attaining the general objectives set out in Article 33 of the Treaty and the CFP objectives as laid down in Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002 of 20 December 2002 on the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources under the common fisheries policy (3). In this context, those measures should address both the immediate situation of economic and social hardship while tackling systemic overcapacity.

It is of importance to ensure that such measures will be equally available for all Member States and that they do not introduce any distortion of competition between Member States or fleets. They therefore need to be addressed and coordinated at Community level.

Consequently, there is a need for a Community initiative supplementing and allowing for temporary derogations from certain provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1198/2006 and to temporarily derogate from certain provisions of Regulations (EC) No 2371/2002 and (EC) No 1198/2006. This initiative should therefore provide for specific measures of general nature and for the implementation of Fleet Adaptation Schemes in the Member States, which effectively address the current economic difficulties, whilst ensuring the long-term viability of fisheries sector.

In view of the exceptional nature of those measures and of the economic hardship they intend to address, the duration of these measures should be limited to the shortest possible period sufficient to achieve the expected aims.

These measures should be implemented by the Member States in the context of their operational programme under the EFF and financed from the funds allocated to them in that framework.

Moreover, Member States should be entitled to supplement the measures benefiting from such funds by financing certain measures through solely national funds with no financing from Community financial instruments. In view of the need to rapidly tackle the serious situation faced by the fisheries sector, those measures, aimed at bringing about structural improvement and long-term economic viability of the sector, should not be subject to the application of Articles 87, 88 and 89 of...