Council Decision (EU) 2017/418 of 28 February 2017 on the conclusion on behalf of the European Union of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Government of the Cook Islands and the Implementation Protocol thereto

What it is

to conclude a Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Government of the Cook Islands and the Implementation Protocol thereto. ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the act. BACKGROUND: the Commission conducted negotiations with the Government of the Cook Islands with a view to concluding a new Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and an Implementation Protocol thereto between the European Union and the Cook Islands. Following these negotiations, a new Agreement and Protocol were initialled on 21 October 2015. They cover a period of eight years and four years respectively from the date of their provisional application, i.e. from the date of their signature. BACKGROUND: the Union and the Government of the Cook Islands negotiated a Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement for a duration of five years, renewable by tacit agreement, and an Implementation Protocol thereto, granting Union vessels fishing opportunities in the waters over which the Cook Islands has sovereign rights or jurisdiction in respect to fisheries. The Agreement and the Protocol were signed in accordance with a Council Decision and apply on a provisional basis from the date of the signature of the Agreement and the Protocol. It is now necessary to approve the Agreement on behalf of the European Union. CONTENT: the Council is called upon to adopt a decision on the conclusion of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Government of the Cook Islands and the Implementation Protocol thereto. Joint committee : the Agreement sets up a Joint Committee which is responsible for monitoring the performance, interpretation and application of the Agreement. It may also approve certain modifications to the Protocol. In this respect, the Commission shall be empowered to approve these modifications under a simplified procedure. For further details on the other main points of the proposal, please refer to the summary of the initial Commission proposal from 22.3.2016 in this procedure file . The Committee on Fisheries adopted the recommendation by João FERREIRA (GUE/NGL, PT) on the draft Council decision on the conclusion on behalf of the European Union of a Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Government of the Cook Islands and the Implementation Protocol thereto. The committee recommended the European Parliament to give its consent to the conclusion of the Agreement. Members recalled that the Cook Islands have traditionally allowed vessels from other countries to have access to their exclusive economic zone (EEZ). These Islands, which border Kiribati, Tokelau, French Polynesia, American Samoa, Niue, and high sea areas, extend over 1.98 million km2. This adds to the economic potential of the fisheries sector, but also entails problems as regards monitoring and control, since illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing is difficult to tackle over so vast an area in which resources are scattered so widely. At present there are no EU vessels fishing in Cook Islands waters. Concluding a…

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