The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and the Agreement relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks both emphasise the need to develop research and data collection with a view to improving scientific knowledge of the sector.

In line with the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy (hereinafter referred to as the CFP) on the conservation, management and exploitation of living aquatic resources in non-Community waters, the Community must take part in the efforts undertaken to conserve fisheries resources, notably in accordance with the provisions adopted in Fisheries Partnership Agreements or by Regional Fisheries Management Organisations.

On 23 January 2003, the Council adopted conclusions concerning the Commission’s Communication to the Council and the European Parliament setting out a ‘Community Action Plan to integrate environmental protection requirements into the CFP’ with guiding principles, management measures and a work programme, to move towards an ecosystem approach to fisheries management.

On 13 October 2003, the Council adopted conclusions concerning the Commission’s Communication to the Council and the European Parliament on the improvement of scientific and technical advice for Community fisheries management, describing the Community’s needs for scientific advice, setting out the mechanisms for providing advice, identifying the areas where system needs to be strengthened and suggesting possible solutions over the short to medium and long term.

Data collected for the purposes of scientific evaluation should include information on fleets and their activities, biological data covering catches, including discards, survey information on fish stocks and the environmental impact that may be caused by fisheries on the marine ecosystem. It should also include data explaining price formation and other data which may facilitate an assessment of the economic situation of fishing enterprises, aquaculture and the processing industry, and of employment trends in these sectors.

In order to protect and conserve living aquatic resources and their sustainable exploitation, the ecosystem based approach to fisheries management should be progressively implemented. In view of this, it is necessary to collect data in order to assess the effects of fisheries on the marine ecosystem.

Community programmes to collect, manage and use fisheries data should be implemented under the direct responsibility of the Member States. Accordingly Member States should draw up national programmes in line with the Community programme.

It is necessary that Member States cooperate among themselves, as well as with third countries, and coordinate their national programmes with respect to the collection of data regarding the same marine region and regions covering relevant inland waters.

Priorities should be established at Community level, as should the procedures for data collection and processing within the Community, in order to ensure that the entire system is consistent and to optimise its cost-effectiveness by creating a stable multi-annual regional framework.

The data referred to in this Regulation should be put into national computerised databases so that they are accessible to the Commission and can be transmitted to end-users. It is in the interest of the scientific community that data which does not allow for personal identification is available to any party who has an interest in its analysis.

Managing fisheries resources requires the processing of detailed data in order to address specific issues. In that context, Member States should transmit data needed for scientific analysis and should ensure they have the technical capacity of doing so. If necessary, the detailed data may be aggregated before their transmission, to the level of aggregation stipulated in the request as defined by the end-users.

In case the Commission finds that the expenditure concerned is linked to irregularities, provision should be made for financial corrections in accordance with Article 28 of Regulation (EC) No 861/2006.

Correct execution of the National Programmes and, in particular, adherence to deadlines, quality control, validation and transmission of the data collected, is of high importance. For this reason Community financial contribution should be made conditional on adherence to the relevant deadlines, on quality control, on compliance with agreed quality standards and on provision of data. Consequently, a financial sanction system related to non-compliance with these conditions should be introduced.

In order to improve the reliability of scientific advice needed to conduct the CFP, the Member States and the Commission should coordinate and cooperate in the relevant international scientific bodies.

Priority should be given to ensuring the attendance of the relevant scientific experts in the expert groups conducting the scientific evaluation needed to conduct the CFP.

Based on past experience and new needs it is appropriate to repeal Council Regulation (EC) No 1543/2000 and to replace it by this Regulation,