Council Regulation (EC) No 893/2007 of 23 July 2007 on the conclusion of a Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community, on the one hand, and the Republic of Kiribati, on the other

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,

Whereas:

(1) The Community has negotiated with the Republic of Kiribati a Fisheries Partnership Agreement providing Community vessels with fishing opportunities in the waters over which Kiribati has sovereignty or jurisdiction in respect of fisheries.

(2) As a result of those negotiations, a new Fisheries Partnership Agreement was initialled on 19 July 2006.

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

(4) 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, on the one hand, and the Republic of Kiribati, on the other, 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:

If licence applications from these Member States do not cover all the fishing opportunities fixed by the Protocol, the Commission may consider licence applications from any other Member State.

Article 3

The Member States whose vessels fish under the Agreement referred to in Article 1 shall notify the Commission of the quantities of each stock caught within the Kiribati 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 (1).

Article 4

The President of the Council is hereby authorised to designate the person(s) empowered to sign the Agreement in order to bind the Community.

Article 5

This Regulation shall enter into force on the seventh day following 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, 23 July 2007.

For the Council The President L. AMADO

(1) OJ L 73, 15.3.2001, p. 8.