Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 20 Member State measures within the 12 nautical mile zone

1. A Member State may take non-discriminatory measures for the conservation and management of fish stocks and the maintenance or improvement of the conservation status of marine ecosystems within 12 nautical miles of its baselines provided that the Union has not adopted measures addressing conservation and management specifically for that area or specifically addressing the problem identified by the Member State concerned. The Member State measures shall be compatible with the objectives set out in Article 2 and shall be at least as stringent as measures under Union law.

2. Where conservation and management measures to be adopted by a Member State are liable to affect fishing vessels of other Member States, such measures shall be adopted only after consulting the Commission, the relevant Member States and the relevant Advisory Councils on a draft of the measures, which shall be accompanied by an explanatory memorandum that demonstrates, inter alia, that those measures are non-discriminatory. For the purpose of such consultation, the consulting Member State may set a reasonable deadline, which shall, however, not be shorter than two months.

3. Member States shall make publicly available appropriate information concerning the measures adopted in accordance with this Article.

4. Where the Commission considers that a measure adopted under this Article does not comply with the conditions set out in paragraph 1, it may, subject to providing relevant reasons, request that the Member State concerned amends or repeals the relevant measure.