COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 2598/1999

of 7 December 1999

amending for the second time Regulation (EC) No 48/1999 fixing, for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, the total allowable catches for 1999 and certain conditions under which they may be fished

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 3760/92 of 20 December 1992 establishing a Community system for fisheries and aquaculture(1), and in particular Article 8(4) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Whereas:

(1) Regulation (EC) No 48/1999(2) fixes, for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, the TACs for 1999 and certain conditions under which they may be fished;

(2) In accordance with the provisions laid down in Council Regulation (EC) No 847/96 of 6 May 1996 introducing additional conditions for year-to-year management of TACs and quotas(3), precautionary TACs may be raised under conditions stipulated in Article 3(1) therein; those conditions are satisfied for the stocks of Norway lobster in the North Sea and in the Skagerrak, the Kattegat and ICES area IIIbcd and of sprat in ICES areas IIa (EC waters) and North Sea (EC waters);

(3) According to the most recent scientific evidence, the TAC for cod in the Kattegat for 1999 may be increased while still keeping with conservation principles;

(4) Within the framework of the bilateral consultations on the reciprocal fishing rights between the Community and Poland for 1999, the Community share for Baltic sprat has been modified;

(5) In order to ensure the livelihood of Community fishermen it is important to open these fisheries as early as possible in 1999; given the urgency of the matter it is imperative to grant an exception to the six-week period mentioned in paragraph I(3) of the Protocol on the role of national parliaments of the European Union annexed to the Treaty of Amsterdam;

(6) Regulation (EC) No 48/1999 should therefore be amended accordingly,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The Annex to this Regulation replaces the corresponding elements of the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 48/1999.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 7 December 1999.

For the Council

The President

K. SASI

(1) OJ L 389, 31.12.1992, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1181/98 (OJ L 164, 9.6.1988, p. 1.)

(2) OJ L 13, 18.1.1999, p. 1. Regulation as amended by Regulation (EC) 1570/1999 (OJ L 187, 20.7.1999, p. 5).

(3) OJ L 115, 9.5.1996, p. 3.

ANNEX

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