The Community is a Contracting Party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 (Unclos), has ratified the United Nations Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks of 4 August 1995 (UN Fish Stocks Agreement) and has accepted the Agreement to Promote Compliance with International Conservation and Management Measures by Fishing Vessels on the High Seas of 24 November 1993 of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the Unite ...[+++]d Nations (FAO Compliance Agreement).

In line with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, RFMOs are international organisations through which coastal states and other states fishing on the high seas cooperate in the conservation and management of fish stocks, particularly highly migratory or straddling fish stocks*, in a particular geographic area.

The Commission has evaluated the application by the interested parties and the recommendation in the light of Decision 2004/585/EC and the aims and principles of the Common Fisheries Policy, and considers that the Regional Advisory Council for the High Seas/Long Distance Fleet is ready to become operational,

As required by Article 3(2) of Decision 2004/585/EC, the Member States concerned determined whether the application concerning the Regional Advisory Council for the High Seas/Long Distance Fleet was in conformity with the provisions laid down in that Decision.

Article 2 of Decision 2004/585/EC establishes a Regional Advisory Council to cover the High Seas/Long Distance Fleet in all non-EC waters.

- Justification: under the Agreement to promote compliance by fishing vessels on the high seas with international conservation and management measures (FAO1993), in order to engage in fishing activities on the high seas authorisation must be granted by the flag State, and, secondly, a register must be established of fishing vessels authorised to fly its flag and authorised to be used for fishing on the high seas. In addition, certain information must be made available to the FAO to strengthen international cooperation for the purposes of identifying authorised fishing activities.