Council Regulation (EC) No 764/2006 of 22 May 2006 on the conclusion of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Kingdom of Morocco

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 37 in conjunction with Article 300(2) and the first subparagraph of Article 300(3) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (1),

Whereas:

(1) The Community and the Kingdom of Morocco have negotiated and initialled a Fisheries Partnership Agreement providing Community fishermen with fishing opportunities in the waters falling within the sovereignty or jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Morocco.

(2) It is in the Community's interest to approve that Agreement.

(3) The method for allocating the fishing opportunities among the Member States should be defined,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Kingdom of Morocco is hereby approved on behalf of the Community.

The text of the Agreement is attached to this Regulation.

Article 2

The fishing opportunities set out in the Protocol to the Agreement shall be allocated among the Member States as follows:

The management of fishing opportunities shall be conducted in full accordance with Article 20 of Council Regulation (EC) 2371/2002 of 20 December 2002 on the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources under the Common Fisheries Policy (2). If licence applications from these Member States do not cover all the fishing opportunities laid down by the Protocol to the Agreement, the Commission may take into consideration licence applications from any other Member State.

Article 3

The Member States whose vessels fish under this Agreement shall notify the Commission of the quantities of each stock caught within the Moroccan fishing zone in accordance with Commission Regulation (EC) No 500/2001 of 14 March 2001 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 on the monitoring of catches taken by Community fishing vessels in third country waters and on the high seas (3).

Article 4

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 22 May 2006.

For the Council The President J. PRÖLL

(1) Opinion of the European Parliament of 16 May 2006 (not yet published in the Official Journal).

(2) OJ L 358, 31.12.2002, p. 59.

(3) OJ L 73, 15.3.2001, p. 8.