Regulation (EU) 2020/1781 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2020 amending Regulation (EU) 2016/1139 as regards fishing capacity reduction in the Baltic Sea, and Regulation (EU) No 508/2014 as regards permanent cessation of fishing activities for fleets fishing for Eastern Baltic cod, Western Baltic cod and Western Baltic herring

‘3 This Regulation also specifies details for the implementation of the landing obligation in the Union waters of the Baltic Sea for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in ICES Subdivisions 22-32.’;

1 Member States which have adopted an action plan in accordance with Article 22(4) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 for fleet segments which include fishing vessels that have targeted Eastern Baltic cod, Western Baltic cod or Western Baltic herring (“the three stocks concerned”) may implement measures for the permanent cessation of fishing activities in accordance with Article 34 of Regulation (EU) No 508/2014.

2 Support for measures referred to in paragraph 1 shall be granted only if the action plan as referred to in paragraph 1 sets out specific fishing capacity reduction targets for fishing vessels with fishing opportunities for one or more of the three stocks concerned.

3 Member States may at any time send or amend their annual report referred to in Article 22(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 in order to introduce or amend their action plan.

4 The fishing capacity ceiling of a Member State implementing permanent cessation measures as referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall decrease by an amount equal to the fishing capacity corresponding to the fishing vessels that are withdrawn with public aid in accordance with Article 22(6) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 and Article 34(5) of Regulation (EU) No 508/2014.

5 Member States shall communicate to the Commission any decreases in the fishing capacity ceilings of Member States in the reports to be submitted in accordance with Article 22(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013.

6 Member States implementing the permanent cessation measures as referred to in paragraph 1 shall communicate to the Commission the yearly average for the years 2015 to 2019 of the total fishing capacity of all fishing vessels with an allocation of fishing opportunities for any of the three stocks concerned. Moreover, Member States shall communicate to the Commission the total amount of fishing capacity withdrawn for fishing vessels with an allocation of fishing opportunities for any of the three stocks concerned.

7 Member States implementing the permanent cessation measures as referred to in paragraph 1 shall ensure that the fishing capacity of fishing vessels with an allocation of fishing opportunities for any of the three stocks concerned does not exceed the yearly average fishing capacity communicated to the Commission in accordance with paragraph 6 by not re-allocating fishing capacity to any of those vessel groups before five years following the date of withdrawal, or before the stock concerned has been above MSY Btrigger for a period of three years, whichever occurs earlier.’;

Member States shall enhance monitoring and control of vessels with by-catch quota for Eastern Baltic cod or with fishing opportunities for Western Baltic cod or Western Baltic herring.’.

‘4 Support under this Article may be granted until 31 December 2017, unless permanent cessation measures are adopted in order to achieve the objectives of the following multiannual plans: (a) the multiannual plan for the conservation and sustainable exploitation of demersal stocks in the western Mediterranean Sea, established by Regulation (EU) 2019/1022 of the European Parliament and of the Council ; (b) the multiannual plan for the stocks of cod, herring and sprat in the Baltic Sea and the fisheries exploiting those stocks, established by Regulation (EU) 2016/1139, with regard to vessels that have targeted Eastern Baltic cod, Western Baltic cod or Western Baltic herring as set out in Article 8a of Regulation (EU) 2016/1139.

‘4a Expenditure related to the permanent cessation measures adopted in order to achieve the objectives of Regulation (EU) 2019/1022 shall be eligible for support under the EMFF from 16 July 2019. Expenditure related to the permanent cessation measures adopted in order to achieve the objectives of Regulation (EU) 2016/1139, in particular Article 8a thereof, shall be eligible for support under the EMFF from 1 December 2020.’;

‘6 By way of derogation from paragraph 1, support may be granted for the permanent cessation of fishing activities without scrapping provided that the vessels retrofit for activities other than commercial fishing. That derogation shall not apply to support granted under paragraph 4, point (b).’;

‘1 By 31 May 2016, and by 31 May of each subsequent year up to and including 2024, Member States shall submit to the Commission an annual report on the implementation of the operational programme in the previous calendar year. The report submitted in 2016 shall cover the calendar years 2014 and 2015.’.

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