Article 26U.K.Presumed IUU fishing
1.The Commission shall identify fishing vessels for which sufficient information has been obtained in accordance with Article 25 to presume that such fishing vessels may be engaged in IUU fishing, warranting an official enquiry with the flag State concerned.
2.The Commission shall notify flag States whose fishing vessels are identified pursuant to paragraph 1 of an official request for an enquiry into the alleged IUU fishing of their flagged vessels concerned. The notification shall:
(a)provide all information gathered by the Commission on alleged IUU fishing;
(b)issue an official request to the flag State that it takes all the necessary measures to investigate the alleged IUU fishing and share the results of this investigation with the Commission on a timely basis;
(c)issue an official request to the flag State to take immediate enforcement action should the allegation formulated against the fishing vessel concerned be proven to be founded, and to inform the Commission of the measures taken;
(d)ask the flag State to notify the owner and, where appropriate, the operator of the fishing vessel concerned of the detailed statement of reasons for the intended listing and of the consequences which would result should the fishing vessel be included in the Community IUU vessel list, as laid down in Article 37. Flag States shall also be requested to provide information to the Commission as to the fishing vessel's owners and, where appropriate, operators so as to ensure that such persons can be heard, in accordance with Article 27(2);
(e)advise the flag State on the provisions in Chapters VI and VII.
3.The Commission shall notify flag Member States whose fishing vessels are identified pursuant to paragraph 1 of an official request for an enquiry into the alleged IUU fishing of their flagged vessels concerned. The notification shall:
(a)provide all information gathered by the Commission on alleged IUU fishing;
(b)include an official request to the flag Member State to take all the necessary measures, in accordance with Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 to investigate the alleged IUU fishing or, where appropriate, to report on all the measures already taken to investigate it and to share the results of this investigation with the Commission on a timely basis;
(c)issue an official request to the flag Member State to take timely enforcement action should the allegation formulated against the fishing vessel concerned be proven to be founded, and to inform the Commission of the measures taken;
(d)ask the flag Member State to notify the owner and, where appropriate, the operator of the fishing vessel concerned of the detailed statement of reasons for the intended listing and of the consequences which would result should the vessel be included in the Community IUU vessel list, as laid down in Article 37. Flag Member States shall also be requested to provide information to the Commission as to the fishing vessel's owners and, where appropriate, operators so as to ensure that such persons can be heard, in accordance with Article 27(2).
4.The Commission shall circulate the information on fishing vessels presumed to be engaged in IUU fishing to all Member States in order to facilitate the implementation of Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93.