
Article 1 
The position to be taken on the Union's behalf in the meetings of the annual Conference of the Parties to the Bering Sea Convention is set out in Annex I.
Article 2 
The year-to-year specification of the Union's position to be taken in the meetings of the annual Conference of the Parties to the Bering Sea Convention shall be conducted in accordance with Annex II.
Article 3 
The Union's position set out in Annex I shall be assessed and, where appropriate, revised by the Council upon a proposal from the Commission, at the latest for the annual Conference of the Parties to the Bering Sea Convention in 2024.
Article 4 
The Council Decision of 12 June 2017 establishing the position to be adopted, on behalf of the European Union, in the annual Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Pollock Resources in the Central Bering Sea, and repealing the Council Decision of 10 July 2012 on establishing the position to be adopted on behalf of the European Union in the framework of the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Pollock Resources in the Central Bering Sea is hereby repealed.
Article 5 

1. In the case of accession of the Union to the Bering Sea Convention, the Commission shall represent the Union at the meetings of the annual Conference of the Parties to the Bering Sea Convention.
2. Pending that accession, the Poland shall express the Union's position at the meetings of the annual Conference of the Parties to the Bering Sea Convention.
3. This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.
Done at Brussels, 14 May 2019.
For the Council
The President
P. DAEA
ANNEX I
1. 
In the framework of the Bering Sea Convention, the Union shall:


a)) act in accordance with the objectives and principles pursued by the Union within the common fisheries policy (CFP), notably through the precautionary approach and the aims related to the maximum sustainable yield as laid down in Article 2(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013, to promote the implementation of an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, to avoid and reduce as far as possible unwanted catches, and gradually eliminate discards, and to minimise the impact of fishing activities on marine ecosystems and their habitats, as well as, through the promotion of economically viable and competitive Union fisheries, to provide a fair standard of living for those who depend on fishing activities and take account of the interests of consumers;
b)) ensure that measures adopted within the annual Conference of the Parties are in accordance with the Bering Sea Convention;
c)) ensure that measures adopted within the annual Conference of the Parties are consistent with international law, and in particular with the provisions of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the 1995 UN Agreement relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, the 1993 Agreement to promote compliance with international conservation and management measures by fishing vessels on the high seas, and the 2009 Food and Agriculture Organization Port State Measures Agreement;
d)) promote positions consistent with the best practices of regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs) in the same area;
e)) seek consistency and synergy with the policy that the Union is pursuing as part of its bilateral fisheries relations with third countries, and ensure coherence with its other policies notably in the field of external relations, employment, environment, trade, development, research and innovation;
f)) ensure that the Union's international commitments are respected;
g)) be in line with the Council Conclusions of 19 March 2012 on the Commission Communication on the external dimension of the common fisheries policy;
h)) aim to create a level playing field for the Union fleet within the Bering Sea Convention area based on the same principles and standards as those applicable under Union law, and to promote the uniform implementation of those principles and standards;
i)) be in line with the Council conclusions on the Joint communication by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the European Commission on International ocean governance: an agenda for the future of oceans and promote measures to support and enhance the effectiveness of the annual Conference of the Parties and, where relevant, improve its governance and performance (in particular as regards on science, compliance, transparency and decision-making) as a contribution to the sustainable management of oceans in all its dimensions;
j)) promote coordination between RFMOs and regional sea conventions (RSCs) and cooperation with global organisations, as applicable, within their mandates;
k)) promote cooperation mechanisms amongst non-tuna RFMOs similar to the so-called Kobe process for tuna RFMOs.

2. 
The Union shall, where appropriate, endeavour to support the adoption of the following actions by the annual Conference of the Parties:


a)) conservation and management measures for fisheries resources in the Agreement area based on the best scientific advice available, including Allowable Harvest Level (AHL) and individual national quotas or effort regulation for living marine biological resources regulated by the annual Conference of the Parties, including changing Annex to the Bering Sea Convention, which would bring or maintain the achievement of the maximum sustainable yield exploitation rate at the latest by 2020. Where necessary, those conservation and management measures shall include specific measures for stocks, which suffer from overfishing to keep the fishing effort in line with available fishing opportunities;
b)) measures to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities in the Bering Sea Convention area, including IUU vessel listing;
c)) measures to reinforce fisheries' scientific data collection and promote better cooperation between the industry and scientists;
d)) monitoring, control and surveillance measures in the Convention Area in order to ensure efficiency of control and compliance with measures adopted within the annual Conference of the Parties;
e)) measures to minimise the negative impact of fishing activities on marine biodiversity and marine ecosystems and their habitats, including measures to reduce marine pollution and prevent the discharge of plastics at sea and reduce the impact on marine biodiversity and ecosystems of plastics present at sea, protective measures for vulnerable marine ecosystems in the Bering Sea Convention area in line with the FAO International Guidelines for the Management of Deep-sea Fisheries in the High Seas, and measures to avoid and reduce as far as possible unwanted catches, including in particular vulnerable marine species, and to gradually eliminate discards;
f)) measures to reduce the impact of Abandoned, Lost or Otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) in the ocean and to facilitate the identification and recovery of such gear;
g)) measures aimed at the prohibition of fisheries conducted solely for the purpose of harvesting shark fins and requiring that all sharks are landed with each fin naturally attached;
h)) recommendations, where appropriate and to the extent permitted under the relevant constituent documents, encouraging the implementation of the Work in Fishing Convention of the International Labour Organisation (ILO);
i)) common approaches with other RFMOs, where appropriate, in particular those involved in fisheries management in the same region;
j)) additional technical measures based on advice from the subsidiary bodies and working groups of the annual Conference of the Parties.

ANNEX II

Before each meeting of the annual Conference of the Parties, when that body is called upon to adopt decisions having legal effects on the Union, the necessary steps shall be taken so that the position to be expressed on the Union's behalf takes account of the latest scientific and other relevant information transmitted to the European Commission, in accordance with the principles and orientations set out in Annex I.
To this effect, and based on that information, the European Commission shall transmit to the Council in sufficient time before each meeting of the annual Conference of the Parties, a written document setting out the particulars of the proposed specification of the Union's position for discussion and endorsement of the details of the position to be expressed on the Union's behalf.
If in the course of a meeting of the annual Conference of the Parties it is impossible to reach an agreement, including on the spot, in order for the Union's position to take account of new elements, the matter shall be referred to the Council or its preparatory bodies.
