It addresses the need to rationalise, simplify and update the existing regulations, taking into consideration the future reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

The EU Fisheries Council has reached a political agreement on the Control Regulation submitted by the Commission. The initiative to introduce a new Control Regulation addresses the need to rationalise, simplify and update the existing regulations.

Throughout the debate, Spain advocated the need for the resulting document to contain greater legal guarantees for fishermen, and that the sections requiring existing legislation to be amended or new legislation come into force at a later date. The improvements have resulted in a more balanced text, allowing substantial improvement in control procedures, without excessively increasing the administrative burden on Member States.

The new regulation seeks to establish a European control regime, in order to guarantee the fulfilment of the common fisheries policy, the replacement of regulations that are now more than fifteen years old, and the unification of the existing regulations, which are spread throughout different regulations and provisions. Likewise, it seeks to ensure overall control of the chain, including traceability, creating a culture of compliance throughout the sector, with coordinated sanctions, and to make use of modern technologies, which enable effective data validation.

Throughout the process, Spain has insisted upon, amongst other improvements, the suppression of the disembarkation authorisation for boats measuring more than 24 metres, and with regard to the regulation of prohibited areas, the creation of a management committee procedure to determine its application.

Meanwhile, the new regulation also establishes that the certification of the motor power should only apply to boats which include new engine sizes. Likewise, the regulation stipulates that recreational fishing rules should only be defined by the Council.

Another important advance is the simplifying of the control regarding the margins of tolerance, including a single percentage.

With regard to establishing minimum sanctions, and with the aim of safeguarding the powers of the Member States, a Council decision-making procedure has been included, which will take into account the value of the catch.

Meanwhile, and in relation to section 84 which provides for a points-based licence system, it stipulates that the obligations contained in this section are to be applied six months after the Commission Development Regulation mentioned in the aforementioned section comes into force.

For those sections requiring subsequent development by the Commission, there must be a temporary regime which applies the existing regulations, until the draft regulations come into force.