Report from the Commission to the Council on the implementation of the Polish National Action Plan under Regulation No 338/2008 providing for the adaptation of cod fishing quotas to be allocated to Poland in the Baltic Sea (Subdivisions 25-32, EC waters) 2008-2011

Under Article 3(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 338/2008 of 14 April 2008 providing for the adaptation of cod fishing quotas to be allocated to Poland in the Baltic Sea (Subdivisions 25-32, EC Waters) from 2008 to 2011, the Commission is required to evaluate and report to the Council annually on the implementation of the Polish National Action Plans on control and fleet restructuring. This is the final report on the three-year period.

The National Action Plan on control is designed to overcome difficulties that have been identified regarding inspections and enforcement and to address the underlying causes of illegal fishing and breaches of EU law for cod fisheries in the Baltic Sea comprehensively. The content of the Plan was discussed and agreed by the Polish authorities and the Commission services at a meeting in Warsaw on 18 March 2008. The National Action Plan on control is outlined in the Agreed Record of that meeting.

The National Action Plan on Baltic Fleet Restructuring, which also covers the period 2008 to 2011, was designed to identify what measures needed to be taken to ensure sustainable exploitation of the cod quotas granted to Poland from the conservation and economic points of view as part of the Operational Programme co-financed by the European Fisheries Fund. The Restructuring Plan was agreed between the Commission and the Polish authorities on 26 March 2008. The National Baltic Fleet Restructuring Plan was adopted in April 2008, and Poland adopted the Fishing Effort Adjustment Plan (FEAP) in January 2009.

As provided for in Article 3(1) of Council Regulation (EC) 338/2008, Poland has adopted and implemented both plans. As required, Poland has sent implementation reports to the Commission. This information, together with information the Commission inspection services have collected, supports the evaluation set out in this report. The report is divided into two parts: control and fleet restructuring.

• Primary Source

EUR-Lex: COM(2012)706: Follow the progress of this document through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2012:706:FIN

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