29.10.2008 Official Journal of the European Union L 286/33 COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1006/2008 of 29 September 2008 concerning authorisations for fishing activities of Community fishing vessels outside Community waters and the access of third country vessels to Community waters, amending Regulations (EEC) No 2847/93 and (EC) No 1627/94 and repealing Regulation (EC) No 3317/94 THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Commu- nity, and in particular Article 37 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament, Whereas: Council Regulation (EC) No 3317/94 of 22 December 1994 laying down general provisions concerning the authorisation of fishing in the waters of a third country under a fisheries agreement! establishes the procedure for the authorisation of fishing activities of Community fishing vessels in the waters under the jurisdiction of third countries, pursuant to fisheries agreements concluded between the Community and third countries. The proce- dure established in that Regulation is no longer considered to serve the needs with regard to international obligations deriving from bilateral fisheries agreements and multilateral agreements and conventions adopted in the framework of regional fisheries management organisations (RFMO) or similar arrangements. Moreover, the Regulation no longer suffices to serve the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), in particular with regard to sustainable fisheries and control. Following the 2006-2008 Action plan for simplifying and improving the Common Fisheries Policy, presented in the Communication from the Commission to the Council and Parliament of 8 December 2005, and the changed circumstances for fisheries outside Community waters since the adoption of Regulation (EC) No 3317/94, and in order to comply with international obligations, it is necessary to introduce a general Community system for the authorisation of all fishing activities of Community fishing vessels outside Community waters. Moreover, the rules for access of fishing vessels flying the flag of a third country to Community waters, as currently laid down in other different legal instruments, should be redefined and, as far as appropriate, aligned with the rules applicable to Community fishing vessels. Community fishing vessels should be allowed to engage in fishing activities outside Community waters only after having been authorised by the competent authority responsible for the authorisation of the fishing activities concerned, such as the competent authority of the third country in whose waters the fishing activities take place, the authority competent for authorising fishing activities in international waters covered by provisions adopted in the framework of an REMO or similar arrangement, or, where it concerns fishing activities on the high seas not regulated by any agreement, the competent authorities of the Member States without prejudice to specific Community legislation concerning fishing activities on the high-seas. It is important to clearly spell out the responsibilities of the Commission and Member States regarding the procedure for the authorisation of fishing activities of Community fishing vessels outside Community waters. In this respect the Commission should be in a position to ensure that international obligations and provisions of the CFP are complied with, that the requests for transmission of applications are complete and that they are transmitted in accordance with the deadlines established under the agreements concerned. Community fishing vessels should be considered eligible for authorisation for any fishing activity outside Community waters only in so far as a number of criteria related to the international obligations entered into by the Community as well as to the rules and objectives of the CFP are satisfied. Where the Council procedure for adopting a decision on the provisional application of a new protocol to a bilateral fisheries agreement with a third country allocating the fishing opportunities between the Member States cannot be finalised before the date of this provisional application the Commission should be allowed, on a temporary basis, in order to avoid any interruption of fishing activities by Community vessels, to transmit to the third country applications for fishing authorisations in the six months following the expiry of the previous protocol. In order to ensure that the fishing opportunities available to the Community under the Fisheries Partnership Agree- ments are used in full, it is necessary that the Commission