(1)

Council Regulation (EU) 2018/120 (1) fixes the fishing opportunities for 2018 for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in Union waters and, for Union vessels, in certain non-Union waters.

(2)

Certain reporting codes should be modified in order to allow for accurate reporting of catches. Certain references to the footnotes and their wording should be corrected.

(3)

In Regulation (EU) 2018/120, the total allowable catch (TAC) for sandeel in ICES divisions 2a and 3a and ICES subarea 4 was set at zero. Sandeel is a short-lived species and the relevant scientific advice becomes available in the second half of February, while fishing activities start in April.

(4)

The catch limits for sandeel in ICES divisions 2a and 3a and ICES subarea 4 should now be amended in line with the latest scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), issued on 23 February 2018.

(5)

For sandeel fisheries, ICES divisions 2a and 3a and ICES subarea 4 are divided into management areas, on the basis of scientific advice. Management area 3r is mainly located in Norwegian waters. However, it also includes Union waters, and some important fishing banks straddled across management areas 2r and 3r. ICES advice sets out that on average 8 % of catches in management area 3r are taken in Union waters. Catch limits for Union waters of management area 3r should be established in accordance with that advice.

(6)

The TAC for cod in ICES subarea 1 and division 2b should be amended to correctly reflect the fishing opportunities available for Union vessels in that area.

(7)

The maximum number of longliners allowed for Malta in the ICCAT Convention area that may be authorised to fish for, retain on board, tranship, transport, or land bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean should be amended, to take account of the increased number of vessels that are so authorised.

(8)

Regulation (EU) 2018/120 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(9)

The catch limits provided for in Regulation (EU) 2018/120 apply from 1 January 2018. The provisions introduced by this Regulation concerning catch limits should therefore also apply from that date. Such retroactive application is without prejudice to the principles of legal certainty and protection of legitimate expectations as the fishing opportunities concerned have not yet been exhausted,

(1)

On 10 July 2014, the Council adopted Regulation (EU) No 747/2014.

(2)

On 14 March 2018, the United Nations Security Council Committee established pursuant to paragraph 5 of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1591(2005) updated the information relating to three persons subject to restrictive measures.

(3)

Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 747/2014 should therefore be amended accordingly,

(1)

The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) aims to provide support for workers made redundant and self-employed persons whose activity has ceased as a result of major structural changes in world trade patterns due to globalisation, as a result of a continuation of the global financial and economic crisis, or as a result of a new global financial and economic crisis, and to assist them with their reintegration into the labour market.

(2)

The EGF is not to exceed a maximum annual amount of EUR 150 million (2011 prices), as laid down in Article 12 of Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 (3).

(3)

On 6 October 2017, Germany submitted an application to mobilise the EGF, in respect of redundancies in Goodyear Dunlop Tires Germany GmbH in Germany. It was supplemented by additional information provided in accordance with Article 8(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013. That application complies with the requirements for determining a financial contribution from the EGF as laid down in Article 13 of Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013.

(4)

The EGF should, therefore, be mobilised in order to provide a financial contribution of EUR 2 165 231 in respect of the application submitted by Germany.

(5)

In order to minimise the time taken to mobilise the EGF, this decision should apply from the date of its adoption,

(1)

The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) aims to provide support for workers made redundant and self-employed persons whose activity has ceased as a result of major structural changes in world trade patterns due to globalisation, as a result of a continuation of the global financial and economic crisis, or as a result of a new global financial and economic crisis, and to assist them with their reintegration into the labour market.

(2)

The EGF is not to exceed a maximum annual amount of EUR 150 million (2011 prices), as laid down in Article 12 of Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 (3).

(3)

On 9 August 2017, Sweden submitted an application to mobilise the EGF, in respect of redundancies in Ericsson (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson) in Sweden. It was supplemented by additional information provided in accordance with Article 8(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013. That application complies with the requirements for determining a financial contribution from the EGF as laid down in Article 13 of Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013.

(4)

The EGF should, therefore, be mobilised in order to provide a financial contribution of EUR 2 130 400 in respect of the application submitted by Sweden.

(5)

In order to minimise the time taken to mobilise the EGF, this decision should apply from the date of its adoption,

(1)

The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) aims to provide support for workers made redundant and self-employed persons whose activity has ceased as a result of major structural changes in world trade patterns due to globalisation, as a result of a continuation of the global financial and economic crisis, or as a result of a new global financial and economic crisis, and to assist them with their reintegration into the labour market.

(2)

The EGF is not to exceed a maximum annual amount of EUR 150 million (2011 prices), as laid down in Article 12 of Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 (3).

(3)

On 19 July 2017 Spain submitted an application to mobilise the EGF, in respect of redundancies in 5 enterprises operating in the manufacture of wearing apparel sector in the region of Galicia in Spain. It was supplemented by additional information provided in accordance with Article 8(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013. That application complies with the requirements for determining a financial contribution from the EGF as laid down in Article 13 of Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013.

(4)

In accordance with Article 4(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013, the application from Spain is considered admissible since the redundancies have a serious impact on employment and the local economy.

(5)

The EGF should, therefore, be mobilised in order to provide a financial contribution of EUR 720 000 in respect of the application submitted by Spain.

(6)

In order to minimise the time taken to mobilise the EGF, this decision should apply from the date of its adoption,

(1)

On 10 July 2014, the Council adopted Decision 2014/450/CFSP.

(2)

On 14 March 2018, the United Nations Security Council Committee established pursuant to paragraph 5 of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1591(2005) updated the information relating to three persons subject to restrictive measures.

(3)

The Annex to Decision 2014/450/CFSP should therefore be amended accordingly,

(1)

The subject matter of the proposed initiative entitled ‘British friends — stay with us in EU’ is stated as follows: ‘Brexit in 2016 was not a binding plebiscite, but only a public referendum in order for the British parliament to judge the opinion of the British populations at that moment’.

(2)

The main objectives of the proposed initiative are: ‘Our aim will be to create a platform which would enable all European citizens to take part in this initiative and to reach a majority of British citizens (including those which live in the EU who were effectively disenfranchised in the original referendum) thereby giving to all British citizens an opportunity to voice their opinion.’

(3)

The Treaty on European Union (TEU) reinforces citizenship of the Union and enhances further the democratic functioning of the Union by providing, inter alia, that every citizen is to have the right to participate in the democratic life of the Union by way of a European citizens' initiative.

(4)

To this end, the procedures and conditions required for the citizens' initiative should be clear, simple, user-friendly and proportionate to the nature of the citizens' initiative so as to encourage participation by citizens and to make the Union more accessible.

(5)

The right of any Member State to withdraw from the European Union is enshrined in Article 50(1) of the TEU, according to which any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements.

(6)

While the European Commission regrets the decision of the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union, as stated by Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, jointly with Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, and Mark Rutte, Holder of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, on 24 June 2016 (2), there is no legal basis in the Treaties which would allow for the adoption of a legal act relating to the decision-making process within a Member State in connection with the notification of that Member State' intention to withdraw from the Union pursuant to Article 50 TEU.

(7)

For these reasons, the proposed citizens' initiative entitled ‘British friends — stay with us in EU’ manifestly falls outside the framework of the Commission's powers to submit a proposal for a legal act of the Union for the purpose of implementing the Treaties within the meaning of Article 4(2)(b) of the Regulation, read in conjunction with Article 2, point 1, thereof,

(1)

Directive 2009/156/EC lays down animal health conditions for the importation into the Union of live equidae. It provides that imports of equidae into the Union are only authorised from third countries that meet certain animal health requirements.

(2)

Annex I to Commission Decision 93/195/EEC (2) sets out lists of third countries assigned to sanitary groups A to E. Annex VII to that Decision contains, amongst others, a model health certificate to be used for the re-entry of registered horses after temporary export for less than 60 days to participate in the equestrian events of the Asian Games and the Endurance World Cup.

(3)

The equestrian events of the 18th Asian Games will take place in Jakarta, Indonesia from 18 August to 2 September 2018. Those events will include Show Jumping, Dressage and Eventing competitions under the auspices of the Fédération Equestre Internationale and will also attract Union-based rider-horse combinations.

(4)

In order to authorise the re-entry into the Union between 10 August 2018 and 10 September 2018 of registered horses for competition after their temporary export for the purposes of taking part in the Asian Games, and, in order to provide for a model health certificate to accompany such registered horses, it is necessary to provide that those horses may re-enter the Union only when accompanied by a health certificate in accordance with the model set out in Annex VII to Decision 93/195/EEC. For that purpose, it is also necessary to include Indonesia in the appropriate sanitary group in Annex I to that Decision.

(5)

As Annex I has undergone several amendments, it should be updated and replaced in its entirety for the sake of legal clarity.

(6)

Decision 93/195/EEC should therefore be amended accordingly.

(7)

Annex I to Commission Decision 2004/211/EC (3) establishes a list of third countries, or parts thereof where regionalisation applies, from which Member States authorise the importation of equidae and semen, ova and embryos thereof, and indicates the conditions applicable to such imports.

(8)

In order to host the equestrian events of the 2018 Asian Games, the competent authorities of Indonesia requested that a part of the territory of that country, being a zone situated on and around a fully fenced race course located in a residential area of the centre of Jakarta city and which has been emptied of equidae since May 2016, be recognised as an equine disease-free zone. This equine disease free zone has been established in accordance with the recommendations of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) (4) and with the assistance of experts.

(9)

The competent authorities of Indonesia provided a number of guarantees, in particular as regards the notifiability of the diseases listed in Annex I to Directive 2009/156/EC in their country and the undertaking to fully comply with Article 12(2)(f) of that Directive as regards the immediate notification of equine disease to the Commission and the Member States.

(10)

According to information made available by Indonesia and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), African horse sickness, Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis and vesicular stomatitis have never been reported in Indonesia.

(11)

While there are no reports available as regards the occurrence of dourine and glanders during the previous years, Indonesia has carried out a comprehensive serological survey on the equine population in the surveillance and protection zones surrounding the core zone of the equine disease free zone in the Metropolitan area of Jakarta, with negative results in all cases for African horse sickness and dourine. However, in one out of 600 horses which were included in the survey, glanders was diagnosed by serology.

(12)

For a period of 6 months, which formally commenced on 15 February 2018, the core zone comprising the venue designated for the Asian Games, will remain free of equidae and all control and biosecurity measures related to the equine disease free zone will be in place until participating horses are introduced according to the agreed quarantine protocol.

(13)

In order to ensure the sustainable protection of the health status of the equine population within the equine disease free zone, the Indonesian authorities have undertaken to operate a quarantine facility within this zone to control the entry of equidae from holdings in other parts of Indonesia and from certain third countries not listed in Annex I to Decision 2004/211/EC. During this pre-entry quarantine the animals will be subjected to the animal health tests in line with Union import conditions applicable to countries of the same sanitary group.

(14)

Taking into account the satisfactory information and guarantees provided by Indonesia, Indonesia should be included in the list of third countries set out in Annex I to Decision 2004/211/EC for the re-entry of registered horses during the period of 10 August to 10 September 2018. At the same time, Indonesia should be regionalised for certain equine diseases. From an epidemiological point of view, the equine disease free zone in Indonesia should be assigned to sanitary group C in the list in Annex I to that Decision.

(15)

Decision 2004/211/EC should therefore be amended accordingly.

(16)

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,