What changed between the plenary report and the adopted text

Added:International Joint Inspection and Surveillance Scheme

Removed:Annex – point 1, Annex VII – title: SIGHTING REPORT

Added:1. Member States may carry out inspection and surveillance activities within the scope of this section in the framework of an International Joint Inspection and Surveillance Scheme (‘the Scheme’) covering the waters outside national jurisdiction in GFCM geographical subareas 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 (Strait of Sicily), as defined in Annex I (‘the inspection and surveillance area’).

Removed:Regulation (EU) No 2023/2124

Added:2. Member States may assign inspectors and inspection means and carry out inspections under the Scheme. The Commission or a body designated by it may also assign Union inspectors to the Scheme.

Removed:Annex – point 1, Annex VII – row 2: Fishing area, geographical subarea, division:

Added:3. The Commission or a body designated by it shall coordinate the surveillance and inspection activities for the Union and may draw up, in coordination with the Member States concerned, a joint deployment plan to enable the Union to fulfil its obligation under the Scheme. Member States shall adopt the necessary measures to facilitate the implementation of those plans, in particular as regards the human and material resources required and the periods and geographical areas in which those resources are to be deployed.

Removed:Regulation (EU) No 2023/2124

Added:4. Each Member State shall, by 15 November of each year, notify to the Commission or a body designated by it on the list of the names of its inspectors authorised to perform the inspection and surveillance activities in the area referred to in paragraph 1, as well as the names of the vessels and aircraft used for inspection and surveillance which they intend to assign to the Scheme for the following year. The Commission or a body designated by it shall send that information to the GFCM Secretariat by 1 December of each year or as soon as possible before the commencement of those inspection and surveillance activities.

Removed:Annex – point 1, Annex VII – row 8: 8. National Registration number:

Added:5. Inspectors assigned to the Scheme shall carry a GFCM inspector card issued by the competent authorities, which shall be in the form set out in Annex IV.

Removed:Annexpoint 1

Added:6. Vessels carrying out boarding and inspection duties in accordance with the Scheme shall fly a special flag or pennant, as described in Annex V.

Removed:Regulation (EU) No 2023/2124

Added:7. Each Member State shall ensure that every inspection platform entitled to fly its flag operating in the area referred to in paragraph 1 maintains secure contact, daily where possible, with every other inspection platform operating in that area, to exchange information necessary to coordinate the activities.

Removed:Annex VII – row 9: 9. Vessel registration number:

Added:8. Each Member State with an inspection or surveillance presence in the area referred to in paragraph 1 shall provide each inspection platform, upon its entry into that area with a list of sightings established in accordance with Annex VII and of boardings and inspections it has conducted in the previous 10-day period, including dates, coordinates and any other relevant information.

Removed:Regulation (EU) No 2023/2124

Added:Article 37c

Removed:Annex – point 1, Annex VII – row 11: 11. Description of vessel / Estimated length overall and gross tonnage: / Estimated width: / Other comments:

Added:Conduct of inspections

Removed:Regulation (EU) No 2023/2124

Added:1. Inspectors assigned to the Scheme shall:

Removed:Annex – point 1, Annex VII – row 13: deleted / (deleted) / (deleted)

Added:(a) prior to boarding, notify the fishing vessel of the name of the inspection vessel;

Removed:Regulation (EU) No 2023/2124

Added:(b) display, on the inspection vessel and boarding vessel, the pennant described in Annex V;

Removed:Annex – point 1, Annex VII – row 14: Date: / Time: / Activity: / Direction: / Position: / Was the vessel presumed to harvest fish in maritime waters under the national jurisdiction of a coastal state in the GFCM area of application without the permission of such state or in contravention of its laws and regulations? [ ] Yes [ ] No / Was the vessel presumed to carry out fishing activities during closed fishing periods or in closed areas? [ ] Yes [ ] No / Was the vessel presumed to carry out transshipment activities at sea? [ ] Yes [ ] No / Was the vessel presumed to fish without a nationality? [ ] Yes [ ] No / Was the vessel presumed to carry out fishing activities without an adequate vessel identification number or while concealing its external markings? [ ] Yes [ ] No / Was the vessel presumed to be engaged in fishing or fishing-related activities in contravention of any other GFCM conservation and management measures? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Added:(c) limit each inspection team to a maximum of three inspectors.

Removed:Regulation (EU) No 2023/2124

Added:2. Upon boarding the vessel, inspectors shall produce the identity card for GFCM inspectors described in Annex IV to the master of that vessel. Inspections shall be conducted in one of the official languages of the GFCM and, where possible, in the language spoken by the master of the fishing vessel.

Removed:Annex – point 1, Annex VII – row 16: 16. Radio contact made with the vessel [ ] Yes [ ] No / Summary of the conversation with the vessel:

Added:3. Inspectors shall draw up a report of the inspection in the format set out in Annex VI.

Removed:Regulation (EU) No 2023/2124

Added:4. Inspectors shall sign the report in the presence of the master of the vessel who shall be entitled to add to the report any observations which the master of the vessel considers suitable. The master of the vessel shall also sign the report.

Removed:Annex – point 1, Annex VII – row 18: 18. List of attached documents (such as photos, relevant reports drafted by competent authorities etc.):

Added:5. Copies of the report shall be given to the master of the vessel and to the authorities of the inspection party, which shall transmit copies to the authorities of the flag State of the inspected vessel and to the Commission or a body designated by it. The Commission shall forward the copy of the report to the GFCM Secretariat.

Removed:Regulation (EU) No 2023/2124

Added:6. The size of the inspection party and the duration of the inspection shall be determined by the commanding officer of the inspection vessel, taking into account all relevant circumstances.

Removed:Annex – point 1, Annex VII – row 19: Means of sighting (including vessel/aircraft name and position, name and location of the fisheries monitoring centre (FMC), where appropriate):

Added:Article 37d

Removed:Regulation (EU) No 2023/2124

Added:Infringements

Removed:Annex – point 1, Annex VIII – introductory part: The list referred to in Articles 15, 24, 34, 47, 61, 70, 74, 75c, 78, 96c , 110a and 116 shall contain, for each vessel, the following information:

Added:1. For the purposes of this Article, the following activities shall be considered to be infringements:

Removed:Regulation (EU) No 2023/2124

Added:(a) the activities referred to in Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008;

Removed:Annex – point 1, Annex VIII – indent 11: – Main target species (if applicable)

Added:(b) interference with satellite monitoring system; and

Removed:Regulation (EU) No 2023/2124

Added:(c) operating without a VMS.

Removed:Annex – point 1, Annex VIII – indent 18: – Designated port (if applicable)

Added:2. In the case of any boarding and inspection of a fishing vessel during which the inspectors detect an infringement, the authorities of the flag Member State of the inspection vessel shall immediately inform the Commission or a body designated by it, which shall notify the flag State of the inspected fishing vessel both directly and through the GFCM Secretariat. They shall also inform any inspection ship of the flag State of the fishing vessel known to be in the vicinity.

Removed:Regulation (EU) No 2023/2124

Added:3. The flag Member State of the fishing vessel shall ensure that, following an inspection in which an infringement has been detected, the fishing vessel concerned ceases all fishing activities. The flag Member State shall require the fishing vessel to proceed within 72 hours to a port designated by it, where an investigation shall be initiated.

Removed:Regulation (EU) No 2023/2124

Added:4. In the event that an infringement has been detected during an inspection, the actions and follow-up taken by the flag Member State shall be notified to the Commission or a body designated by it. The Commission or a body designated by it shall forward the action and follow-up taken to the GFCM Secretariat.

Removed:Regulation (EU) No 2023/2124

Added:5. Member States’ authorities shall act on inspection reports, as referred to in Article 37c(3), sighting information sheet, as provided for in Annex VII, and statements resulting from documentary inspections by inspectors on a similar basis as they act on reports and statements of national inspectors.’;

Removed:Da) Norway lobster spatio-temporal closures in the Adriatic Sea (GSAs 17 and 18)