(1)

Council Regulation (EC) No 2007/2000 of 18 September 2000 introducing exceptional trade measures for countries and territories participating in or linked to the European Union’s Stabilisation and Association process (2) introduced exceptional trade measures which provide for unlimited duty free access to the Union market for almost all products originating in the countries and customs territories benefiting from the Stabilisation and Association process. As Regulation (EC) No 2007/2000 was substantially amended several times, in the interests of clarity and rationality it was codified by Council Regulation (EC) No 1215/2009 (3).

(2)

A Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, of the other part, was signed in Luxembourg on 16 June 2008. Pending the completion of the procedures necessary for its entry into force, an Interim Agreement on trade and trade-related matters between the European Community, of the one part, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, of the other part (4), was signed and concluded (5) and entered into force on 1 July 2008.

(3)

A Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Serbia, of the other part was signed in Luxembourg on 29 April 2008. Pending the completion of the procedures necessary for its entry into force, an Interim Agreement on trade and trade-related matters between the European Community, of the one part, and the Republic of Serbia, of the other part (6), was signed and concluded (7) and entered into force on 1 February 2010.

(4)

The Stabilisation and Association Agreements and the Interim Agreements establish a contractual trade regime between the European Union and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and between the European Union and Serbia. It is therefore necessary to amend Regulation (EC) No 1215/2009 by removing Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia from the list of beneficiaries of the tariff concessions for the same products under the contractual trade regime and to adjust the global tariff quota volumes for specific products for which tariff quotas have been granted under the contractual trade regime. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia should, however, remain beneficiaries under Regulation (EC) No 1215/2009 in so far as that Regulation provides for concessions which are more favourable than those under the bilateral agreements.

(5)

Regulation (EC) No 1215/2009 remains the main instrument governing trade relations with Kosovo (8). Kosovo’s continued access to the Union market is crucial for Kosovo’s economic recovery and for the whole region. At the same time, such access will not have negative consequences for the Union.

(6)

For those reasons and given the fact that Regulation (EC) No 1215/2009 ceased to apply on 31 December 2010, it is appropriate to extend the validity of Regulation (EC) No 1215/2009 until 31 December 2015.

(7)

In order to ensure the Union’s compliance with its international obligations, the preferential arrangements set out in this Regulation should be made conditional on the continuation or renewal of the existing waiver from World Trade Organization (WTO) obligations obtained by the Union.

(8)

In order to protect the economic interests of operators, it is necessary to provide for transitional measures in respect of goods that are, at the date of application of this Regulation, in transit or in temporary storage in customs warehouses or in free zones.

(9)

In order to adopt the provisions necessary for the application of this Regulation, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission in respect of the necessary amendments and technical adjustments to Annexes I and II following amendments to the Combined Nomenclature codes and to the TARIC subdivisions, as well as the necessary adjustments following the granting of trade preferences under other arrangements between the Union and the countries and territories referred to in this Regulation. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level. The Commission, when preparing and drawing up delegated acts, should ensure a simultaneous, timely and appropriate transmission of relevant documents to the European Parliament and to the Council.

(10)

In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Regulation with regard to the suspension of the entitlement to benefit from the preferential arrangements in the event of non-compliance, the issuing of authenticity certificates attesting that the goods originate in the country or territory concerned and correspond to the definition in this Regulation, and for the temporary suspension, in whole or in part, of the arrangements provided for in this Regulation, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers (9).

(11)

In order not to disrupt trade, it is necessary for this Regulation to apply retroactively, as of 1 January 2011,

(1)

Article 1 is replaced by the following:

(2)

Article 2 is amended as follows:

(3)

Article 3 is amended as follows:

(4)

Article 4 is replaced by the following:

(5)

Article 7 is replaced by the following:

(6)

the following Article is inserted:

(7)

Article 8 is replaced by the following:

(*1)   OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13."

(*2)   OJ L 84, 31.3.2009, p. 1."

(*3)   OJ L 299, 16.11.2007, p. 1.’;"

(8)

Article 10 is amended as follows:

(9)

in Article 12, the second paragraph is replaced by the following:

‘It shall apply until 31 December 2015.

The preferences provided for in this Regulation shall cease to apply, in whole or in part, in the event that they would not be permitted by a waiver granted by the WTO. Such cessation shall apply from the day on which the waiver is no longer in effect. The Commission shall, sufficiently prior to that date, publish a notice in the Official Journal of the European Union to inform operators and the competent authorities thereof. The notice shall specify which preferences provided for in this Regulation are no longer in effect and the date on which they cease to apply.’;

(10)

Annex I is replaced by the text appearing in the Annex to this Regulation.

(1)

Council Regulation (EEC) No 357/79 of 5 February 1979 on statistical surveys of areas under vines (2) and Directive 2001/109/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 2001 concerning the statistical surveys to be carried out by the Member States in order to determine the production potential of plantations of certain species of fruit trees (3) have been amended several times. As further amendments and simplifications are now necessary, those acts should, for reasons of clarity and in accordance with the new approach to the simplification of Union legislation and better regulation, be replaced by one single act.

(2)

In order to perform the task conferred upon it by the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and by Union legislation governing the common organisation of agricultural markets, the Commission needs to be kept accurately informed about the production potential of plantations of certain species of permanent crops within the Union. In order to ensure that the common agricultural policy is properly administered, the Commission requires data on permanent crops to be regularly provided on a five-year basis.

(3)

Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2009 on European statistics (4) provides a reference framework for European statistics on permanent crops. In particular, that Regulation requires conformity with principles of professional independence, impartiality, objectivity, reliability, statistical confidentiality and cost-effectiveness.

(4)

It is necessary to strengthen cooperation between the authorities involved in the drawing up and the publication of European statistics.

(5)

When preparing and drawing up European statistics, account should be taken of international recommendations and best practices.

(6)

Structural statistics on permanent crops should be available in order to ensure that the production potential and the market situation can be monitored. In addition to the information provided in the context of the single Common Market Organisation, information on the regional breakdown of statistics is essential. The Member States should therefore be required to collect this information and send it to the Commission on certain fixed dates.

(7)

Structural statistics on permanent crops are essential for the management of markets at Union level. It is also essential for structural statistics on permanent crops to be covered in addition to the annual statistics on areas and production governed by other Union legislation concerning statistics.

(8)

To avoid placing an unnecessary burden on farms and administrations, thresholds should be established that exclude non-relevant entities from the basic entities in respect of which statistics on permanent crops are to be collected.

(9)

To guarantee the harmonisation of data, it is necessary to clearly state the most important definitions, the reference periods and the precision requirements to be applied in the production of statistics on permanent crops.

(10)

To guarantee the availability of these statistics to users within the necessary timeframe, a time schedule for transmitting the data to the Commission should be established.

(11)

In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 May 2003 on the establishment of a common classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS) (5), all Member State statistics transmitted to the Commission which are broken down by territorial unit are to use the NUTS classification. Consequently, in order to establish comparable regional statistics on permanent crops, the territorial units should be defined in accordance with the NUTS classification. However, since, for sound management of the wine and vine sector, other territorial breakdowns are necessary, different territorial units can be specified for that sector.

(12)

Methodological and quality reports are essential in order to assess the quality of the data and to analyse the results, and such reports should therefore be provided on a regular basis.

(13)

Since the objective of this Regulation, namely the establishment of a common framework for the systematic production of European statistics on permanent crops, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can therefore be better achieved at Union level, the Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary to achieve that objective.

(14)

In order to ensure a smooth transition from the regime applicable under Directive 2001/109/EC, this Regulation should allow for the granting of a derogation to Member States where the application of this Regulation to their national statistical systems would require major adaptations and would be likely to cause significant practical problems.

(15)

In order to take into account economic and technical developments, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 TFEU should be delegated to the Commission in respect of amending the breakdowns of species by groups, density classes and age classes set out in Annex I and the variables/characteristics, size classes, degree of specialisation and vine varieties set out in Annex II, except in respect of the optional nature of the required information. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out the appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level. The Commission, when preparing and drawing-up delegated acts, should ensure a simultaneous, timely and appropriate transmission of relevant documents to the European Parliament and to the Council.

(16)

In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Regulation, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by the Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers (6).

(17)

Regulation (EEC) No 357/79 and Directive 2001/109/EC should be repealed.

(18)

In order to ensure the continuity of activities provided in the framework for European statistics on permanent crops, this Regulation should enter into force the day following its publication and apply from 1 January 2012.

(19)

The Standing Committee for Agricultural Statistics has been consulted,

(1)

‘permanent crop’ means a crop not grown in rotation, other than permanent grassland, which occupies the soil for a long period and yields crops over several years;

(2)

‘parcel planted’ means an agricultural parcel, as defined in point (1) of the second paragraph of Article 2 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1122/2009 of 30 November 2009 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 as regards cross-compliance, modulation and the integrated administration and control system, under the direct support schemes for farmers provided for that Regulation, as well as for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 as regards cross-compliance under the support scheme provided for the wine sector (7), planted with one of the permanent crops referred to in Article 1(1) of this Regulation;

(3)

‘planted area’ means the area of the parcels planted with a homogeneous plantation of the relevant permanent crop, rounded to the nearest 0,1 hectare (ha);

(4)

‘harvest year’ means the calendar year in which the harvest begins;

(5)

‘density’ means the number of plants by hectare;

(6)

‘usual planting period’ means the period of the year when permanent crops are usually planted starting in mid-autumn and finishing by mid-spring of the following year;

(7)

‘planting year’ means the first year where the plant has vegetative development after the day on which it is installed on its definitive production place;

(8)

‘age’ means the number of years since the planting year, which shall be considered to be year 1;

(9)

‘dessert apple tree, dessert pear tree and dessert peach tree’ means apple tree plantations, pear tree plantations and peach tree plantations, except those specifically intended for industrial processing. Where it is not possible to identify the plantations intended for industrial processing, the correspondent areas shall be included under this category;

(10)

‘vines for other purposes’ means all areas under vines to be included in the vineyard register as established under Article 3 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 436/2009 of 26 May 2009 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 as regards the vineyard register, compulsory declarations and the gathering of information to monitor the wine market, the documents accompanying consignments of wine products and the wine sector registers to be kept (8);

(11)

‘dual-purpose grapes’ means grapes from vine varieties listed in the classification of vine varieties drawn up by Member States in accordance with Article 120a(2) to (6) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 of 22 October 2007 establishing a common organisation of agricultural markets and on specific provisions for certain agricultural products (Single CMO Regulation) (9) that are produced, for the same administrative unit, both as wine grape varieties and, as the case may be, as table grape varieties, varieties for the production of dried grapes or varieties for the production of wine spirits;

(12)

‘combined crops’ means a combination of crops occupying a parcel of land at the same time.

(1)

Since 2007 the Community has streamlined its geographical cooperation with developing countries in Asia, Central Asia and Latin America, and with Iraq, Iran, Yemen, and South Africa under Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 establishing a financing instrument for development cooperation (2).

(2)

The primary and overarching objective of Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 is the eradication of poverty through the pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals. The scope of cooperation for the geographic programmes with developing countries, territories and regions established under that Regulation is furthermore limited materially to financing measures designed to fulfil the criteria for Official Development Assistance (‘ODA criteria’) established by the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (‘OECD/DAC’).

(3)

It is in the Union’s interests to further deepen its relations with the developing countries concerned, which are important bilateral partners and players in multilateral forums and in global governance. The Union has a strategic interest in promoting diversified links with those countries, in particular in areas such as economic, commercial, academic, business and scientific exchanges. It therefore needs a financial instrument that allows the financing of such measures which, in principle, do not qualify as ODA under the ODA criteria but which are crucially important in terms of consolidating relations and which make an important contribution to promoting the progress of the developing countries concerned.

(4)

For that purpose, four preparatory actions were set out in the 2007 and 2008 budget procedures to initiate such enhanced cooperation in accordance with point (b) of Article 49(6) of Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (3). Those four preparatory actions are: business and scientific exchanges with India; business and scientific exchanges with China; cooperation with middle-income group countries in Asia; and cooperation with middle-income group countries in Latin America. Under that Article the legislative procedure further to preparatory actions must be concluded before the end of the third financial year.

(5)

The objectives and provisions of Council Regulation (EC) No 1934/2006 (4) are appropriate to pursue such enhanced cooperation with countries falling under Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006. For that purpose, it is necessary to extend the geographical scope of Regulation (EC) No 1934/2006 and to provide for a financial envelope to cover cooperation with those developing countries.

(6)

Extending the geographical scope of Regulation (EC) No 1934/2006 brings the developing countries concerned within the scope of two different external action financial instruments. Care should be taken to ensure that those two financial instruments are kept strictly separate from each other. Measures which fulfil the ODA criteria will be financed under Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006, whereas Regulation (EC) No 1934/2006 will apply exclusively to measures which, in principle, do not fulfil those criteria. It is also necessary to ensure that the countries previously falling within the scope of Regulation (EC) No 1934/2006 — industrialised and other high-income countries and territories — are not placed at a disadvantage, particularly in financial terms, by the extension of that Regulation’s geographical scope.

(7)

Since the economic crisis has placed budgets under extreme strain throughout the Union and the proposed extension embraces countries which sometimes demonstrate a similar level of competitiveness to that of the Union and have attained an average standard of living which approaches that of some Member States, Union cooperation should take into consideration efforts made by the recipient countries to comply with the international agreements of the International Labour Organisation and to participate in the general objectives of greenhouse gas emissions reduction.

(8)

The review of the implementation of the external action financial instruments has identified inconsistencies in the provisions that exclude costs relating to taxes, duties or other charges as ineligible. For the sake of consistency, it is proposed to bring those provisions into line with the other instruments.

(9)

Regulation (EC) No 1934/2006 should therefore be amended accordingly,

(1)

the title of the Regulation is replaced by the following:

‘Council Regulation (EC) No 1934/2006 of 21 December 2006 establishing a financing instrument for cooperation with industrialised and other high-income countries and territories, and with developing countries falling under Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council, for activities other than official development assistance’;

(2)

Articles 1 to 4 are replaced by the following:

(*1)   OJ L 378, 27.12.2006, p. 41."

(*2)   OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 62.’;"

(3)

in Article 5, paragraph 2 is replaced by the following:

(4)

the following Article is added:

(5)

in Article 6, paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:

(6)

Article 7 is amended as follows:

(7)

in Article 8, paragraph 3 is replaced by the following:

(8)

Article 9 is amended as follows:

(9)

Article 12 is amended as follows:

(10)

Articles 13 and 14 are replaced by the following:

(11)

Article 16 is replaced by the following:

(12)

in the Annex, the title is replaced by the following:

‘ANNEX I

List of industrialised and other high-income countries and territories covered by this Regulation ’;

(13)

new Annexes II and III, the text of which is set out in the Annex to this Regulation, are added.

(1)

A new framework for planning and delivering assistance was established in 2006 in order to make the Community’s external assistance more effective and transparent. It contains Council Regulation (EC) No 1085/2006 of 17 July 2006 establishing an Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) (2), Regulation (EC) No 1638/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 2006 laying down general provisions establishing a European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (3), Council Regulation (EC) No 1934/2006 of 21 December 2006 establishing a financing instrument for cooperation with industrialised and other high-income countries and territories (4), Regulation (EC) No 1717/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 November 2006 establishing an Instrument for Stability (5), Council Regulation (Euratom) No 300/2007 of 19 February 2007 establishing an Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation (6), Regulation (EC) No 1889/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 establishing a financing instrument for the promotion of democracy and human rights worldwide (7), and Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council (8).

(2)

In implementing Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006, inconsistencies have emerged regarding exceptions to the principle of non-eligibility for Union financing of costs related to taxes, duties and other charges. It is therefore proposed to amend the relevant provisions of that Regulation in order to align it with the other instruments.

(3)

This Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve the objective pursued, in accordance with Article 5(4) of the Treaty on European Union.

(4)

Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 should therefore be amended accordingly,

(1)

A new framework for planning and delivering assistance was established in 2006 in order to make the Community’s external assistance more effective and transparent. It contains Council Regulation (EC) No 1085/2006 of 17 July 2006 establishing an Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) (2), Regulation (EC) No 1638/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 2006 laying down general provisions establishing a European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (3), Council Regulation (EC) No 1934/2006 of 21 December 2006 establishing a financing instrument for cooperation with industrialised and other high-income countries and territories (4), Regulation (EC) No 1717/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 November 2006 establishing an Instrument for Stability (5), Council Regulation (Euratom) No 300/2007 of 19 February 2007 establishing an Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation (6), Regulation (EC) No 1889/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council (7), and Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 establishing a financing instrument for development cooperation (8).

(2)

In implementing those Regulations inconsistencies have emerged regarding exceptions to the principle of non-eligibility for Union financing of costs related to taxes, duties and other charges. It is therefore proposed to amend the relevant provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1889/2006 in order to align it with the other instruments.

(3)

This Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve the objective pursued, in accordance with Article 5(4) of the Treaty on European Union.

(4)

Regulation (EC) No 1889/2006 should therefore be amended accordingly,

(1)

The Union’s development policy aims to reduce and ultimately eradicate poverty.

(2)

The Union, as a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), is committed to mainstreaming trade in development strategies and to promoting international trade in order to advance development and reduce — and, in the long term, eradicate — poverty worldwide.

(3)

The Union supports the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States on their path to poverty reduction and to sustainable economic and social development, and recognises the importance of their commodity sectors.

(4)

The Union is committed to supporting the smooth and gradual integration of developing countries into the world economy with a view to sustainable development. The main ACP banana-exporting countries may face challenges in the context of changing trade arrangements, notably liberalisation of the most-favoured nation (MFN) tariff in the framework of the WTO and the bilateral and regional agreements concluded, or in the process of being concluded, between the Union and Latin American countries. Therefore, an ACP banana accompanying measures programme (the BAM programme) should be added to Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2).

(5)

The financial assistance measures to be adopted under the BAM programme should aim at improving the living standards and living conditions of people in banana-growing areas and in banana value chains, specifically small farmers and small entities, as well as ensuring compliance with labour and occupational health and safety standards, and environmental standards, notably those regarding the use of and exposure to pesticides. Those measures should therefore support adaptation and include, when relevant, the reorganisation, of areas dependent upon banana exports to the European Union through sector-specific budget support or project-specific interventions. The measures should take into consideration the expected development of the banana export sector and aim to provide for social resilience policies, economic diversification or investment to improve competitiveness, where this is viable, taking into account the results of and experiences gained through the Special System of Assistance (SSA) to traditional ACP suppliers of bananas established in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 2686/94 (3) and the Special Framework of Assistance (SFA) for traditional ACP suppliers of bananas established in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 856/1999 (4) and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1609/1999 (5). The Union acknowledges the importance of promoting a more equitable distribution of banana revenues.

(6)

The BAM programme should accompany the adaptation process in ACP countries which have exported significant volumes of bananas to the Union in recent years and which may be affected by liberalisation in the framework of the Geneva Agreement on Trade in Bananas (6) and by the bilateral and regional agreements concluded, or in the process of being concluded, between the Union and Latin American countries. The BAM programme builds on the SFA for traditional ACP suppliers of bananas. It is in conformity with the Union’s international obligations in the framework of the WTO, focuses on restructuring and boosting competitiveness, and is consequently temporary in nature, with a duration of three years (2011 to 2013).

(7)

The conclusions of the Commission Communication of 17 March 2010 entitled ‘Biennial Report on the Special Framework of Assistance for Traditional ACP Suppliers of Bananas’ indicate that past assistance programmes made substantial contributions to achieving improved capacity for successful economic diversification, although the full impact cannot be quantified, and that the sustainability of ACP banana exports remains fragile.

(8)

The Commission has carried out an evaluation of the SFA programme and has not carried out an impact assessment of the banana accompanying measures.

(9)

The Commission should ensure proper coordination of this programme with the regional and national indicative programmes operating in the beneficiary countries, in particular as regards the achievement of economic, agricultural, social and environmental objectives.

(10)

Almost 2 % of the world’s trade in bananas is endorsed by fair trade producers’ organisations. The minimum fair trade prices are set on the basis of a calculation of the ‘sustainable production costs’, established following consultations with stakeholders, with a view to internalising the costs of meeting decent social and environmental standards and generating a reasonable profit, enabling producers to safeguard their livelihoods in the long term.

(11)

To prevent the exploitation of local workers, actors in the production chain in the banana industry should agree to ensure that the revenue generated by the industry is allocated fairly.

(12)

Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 should therefore be amended accordingly,

(1)

Article 4 is replaced by the following:

(2)

the following Article is inserted:

(*1)   OJ C 139, 14.6.2006, p. 1.’;"

(3)

Article 21 is replaced by the following:

(4)

Article 29(1) is replaced by the following:

(5)

in Article 31(1), the third subparagraph is replaced by the following:

‘Participation in the award of procurement or grant contracts financed under a thematic programme as defined in Articles 11 to 16, and the programmes set out in Articles 17 and 17a, shall be open to all natural persons who are nationals of, or legal persons who are established in, a developing country, as specified by the OECD/DAC and in Annex II, in addition to natural or legal persons eligible by virtue of the thematic programme or the programmes set out in Articles 17 and 17a. The Commission shall publish and update Annex II in accordance with regular reviews of the list of aid recipients of the OECD/DAC, and inform the Council thereof.’;

(6)

in Article 38, paragraphs 1 and 2 are replaced by the following:

(7)

Annex IIIa, as contained in Annex I to this Regulation, is inserted;

(8)

Annex IV is replaced by the contents of Annex II to this Regulation.

(1)

Union rules on local border traffic, established by Regulation (EC) No 1931/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 laying down rules on local border traffic at the external land borders of the Member States and amending the provisions of the Schengen Convention (2), in force since 2007, have avoided creating barriers to trade, to social and cultural interchange or to regional cooperation with neighbouring countries, while preserving the security of the entire Schengen area.

(2)

The Kaliningrad oblast has an exceptional geographic situation: as a relatively small area completely surrounded by two Member States, it constitutes the only enclave in the European Union; its shape and the distribution of its population are such that applying the standard rules on the definition of the border area would artificially divide the enclave, whereby some inhabitants would enjoy facilitations for local border traffic while the majority, including the inhabitants of the city of Kaliningrad, would not. In the light of the homogeneous nature of the Kaliningrad oblast, for trade, social and cultural interchange and regional cooperation to be enhanced, a specific exception to Regulation (EC) No 1931/2006 should be introduced that would allow the entire Kaliningrad oblast to be considered as a border area.

(3)

A specific border area on the Polish side should also be recognised as an eligible border area, in order for the application of Regulation (EC) No 1931/2006 in that region to have real effect through increased opportunities for trade, social and cultural interchange and regional cooperation between the Kaliningrad oblast on the one hand and major centres in the North of Poland on the other.

(4)

This Regulation is without prejudice to the general definition of the border area and to full respect for the rules and conditions set out in Regulation (EC) No 1931/2006, including the penalties to be imposed by Member States on border residents who abuse the local border traffic regime.

(5)

This Regulation contributes to further promoting the strategic partnership between the European Union and the Russian Federation, in line with the priorities set out in the Roadmap of the Common Space on Freedom, Security and Justice, and takes into account the overall relationship between the European Union and the Russian Federation.

(6)

Since the objective of this Regulation, namely the inclusion of the Kaliningrad oblast and certain Polish administrative districts in the eligible border area, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can be better achieved at Union level, the Union may adopt measures in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve this objective.

(7)

As regards Iceland and Norway, this Regulation constitutes a development of the provisions of the Schengen acquis within the meaning of the Agreement concluded by the Council of the European Union and the Republic of Iceland and the Kingdom of Norway concerning the latters’ association with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis (3) which fall within the area referred to in Article 1, point A, of Council Decision 1999/437/EC of 17 May 1999 on certain arrangements for the application of that Agreement (4).

(8)

As regards Switzerland, this Regulation constitutes a development of the provisions of the Schengen acquis within the meaning of the Agreement between the European Union, the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on the Swiss Confederation’s association with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis (5) which fall within the area referred to in Article 1, point A, of Decision 1999/437/EC read in conjunction with Article 3 of Council Decision 2008/146/EC (6).

(9)

As regards Liechtenstein, this Regulation constitutes a development of the provisions of the Schengen acquis within the meaning of the Protocol between the European Union, the European Community, the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein on the accession of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the Agreement between the European Union, the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on the Swiss Confederation’s association with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis (7) which fall within the area referred to in Article 1, point A, of Decision 1999/437/EC read in conjunction with Article 3 of Council Decision 2011/350/EU (8).

(10)

In accordance with Articles 1 and 2 of the Protocol (No 22) on the position of Denmark, annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Denmark is not taking part in the adoption of this Regulation and is not bound by it or subject to its application. Given that this Regulation builds upon the Schengen acquis, Denmark shall, in accordance with Article 4 of that Protocol, decide within a period of 6 months after the Council has decided on this Regulation whether it will implement it in its national law.

(11)

This Regulation constitutes a development of the provisions of the Schengen acquis in which the United Kingdom does not take part, in accordance with Council Decision 2000/365/EC of 29 May 2000 concerning the request of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to take part in some of the provisions of the Schengen acquis (9); the United Kingdom is therefore not taking part in its adoption and is not bound by it or subject to its application.

(12)

This Regulation constitutes a development of the provisions of the Schengen acquis in which Ireland does not take part, in accordance with Council Decision 2002/192/EC of 28 February 2002 concerning Ireland’s request to take part in some of the provisions of the Schengen acquis (10); Ireland is therefore not taking part in its adoption and is not bound by it or subject to its application,

(1)

at the end of Article 3, point (2), the following sentence is added:

‘The areas listed in the Annex to this Regulation shall be considered as part of the border area;’;

(2)

the text set out in the Annex to this Regulation is added as an Annex.

(1)

The European Community acceded to the Agreement for the establishment of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM Agreement) pursuant to Council Decision 98/416/EC of 16 June 1998 on the accession of the European Community to the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (3) (GFCM).

(2)

The GFCM Agreement provides an appropriate framework for multilateral cooperation to promote the development, conservation, rational management and best utilisation of living marine resources in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea at levels which are considered sustainable and at low risk of collapse.

(3)

The European Union, as well as Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Malta, Romania and Slovenia are contracting parties to the GFCM Agreement.

(4)

Recommendations adopted by the GFCM are binding on its contracting parties. As the Union is a contracting party to the GFCM Agreement, these recommendations are binding on the Union and should therefore be implemented in Union law unless their content is already covered thereby.

(5)

At its Annual Sessions in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 the GFCM adopted a number of recommendations and resolutions for certain fisheries in the GFCM Agreement area which have been temporarily implemented in Union law by the annual Regulations on fishing opportunities or, in the case of GFCM Recommendations 2005/1 and 2005/2, by Article 4(3) and Article 24 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1967/2006 (4).

(6)

For reasons of clarity, simplification and legal certainty, and since the permanent character of recommendations requires also a permanent legal instrument for their implementation in Union law, it is appropriate to implement these recommendations via a single legislative act, where future recommendations can be added by way of amendments to that act.

(7)

GFCM recommendations apply to the entire GFCM Agreement area, that is the Mediterranean and the Black Sea and connecting waters, as defined in the preamble to the GFCM Agreement, and therefore, for reasons of clarity and legal certainty, they should be implemented in a single separate Regulation rather than through amendments to Regulation (EC) No 1967/2006 which covers only the Mediterranean Sea.

(8)

Certain provisions contained in Regulation (EC) No 1967/2006 should apply not only to the Mediterranean Sea but to the entire GFCM Agreement area. Those provisions should therefore be deleted from Regulation (EC) No 1967/2006 and included in this Regulation. In addition, certain provisions regarding minimum mesh size that are laid down in that Regulation should be further clarified.

(9)

The ‘fisheries restricted areas’ established by GFCM recommendations for spatial management measures are equivalent to the ‘fishing protected areas’ as used in Regulation (EC) No 1967/2006.

(10)

At its Annual Session of 23 to 27 March 2009 the GFCM adopted, on the basis of scientific advice by the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), contained in the report of its 11th session (FAO report No 890), a recommendation on the establishment of a fisheries restricted area in the Gulf of Lions. It is appropriate to implement this measure by means of a fishing effort management system.

(11)

In Mediterranean mixed fisheries, the selectivity of some fishing gears cannot be permitted to go beyond a certain level. In addition to the overall control and limitation of fishing effort, it is fundamental to limit fishing effort in areas where adults of important stocks aggregate, in order to ensure a risk of reproduction impairment that is low enough to allow for their sustainable exploitation. It is therefore advisable, in respect of the area examined by the SAC, first to limit the fishing effort to previous levels and then not to allow any increase of that level.

(12)

The advice upon which management measures are based should itself be based on the scientific use of relevant data on fleet capacity and activity, on the biological status of exploited resources and on the social and economic situation of fisheries. Those data need to be collected and submitted in time to allow the subsidiary bodies of the GFCM to prepare their advice.

(13)

At its Annual Session in 2008, the GFCM adopted a recommendation on a regional scheme of port state measures to combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in the GFCM Area. While Council Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 of 29 September 2008 establishing a Community system to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (5) covers generally the content of that recommendation and has been applied since 1 January 2010, there are nevertheless some parts thereof, such as the frequency, the coverage and the procedure for port inspections, which need to be referred to in this Regulation in order to adapt them to the particularities of the GFCM Agreement area.

(14)

Implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission in order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of the provisions of this Regulation in respect of the format and transmission of: the report on the fishing activities carried out in fisheries restricted areas; applications for carrying over lost days due to bad weather in the closed season for dolphinfish fisheries and the report on such carrying over; the report in the context of collecting data on dolphinfish fisheries; information in respect of the use of minimum mesh size for nets used for trawling activities exploiting demersal stocks in the Black Sea; and data on statistical matrices, as well as in respect of cooperation and exchange of information with the Executive Secretary of the GFCM. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers (6).

(15)

In order to ensure that the Union continues to fulfil its obligations under the GFCM Agreement, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission in respect of the implementation in Union law of amendments, which have become binding on the Union, to existing GFCM measures which have already been implemented in Union law, as regards the provision to the Executive Secretary of the GFCM of information on minimum mesh size in the Black Sea; the transmission to the Executive Secretary of the GFCM of the list of authorised vessels for the purpose of the GFCM Register; port state measures; cooperation, information and reporting; the table, map and geographic coordinates of the GFCM Geographical Sub-Areas; port state inspection procedures for vessels; and GFCM statistical matrices. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level. The Commission, when preparing and drawing up delegated acts, should ensure a simultaneous, timely and appropriate transmission of relevant documents to the European Parliament and to the Council,