Structure and Operation of the International Baltic Sea Fishery Commission

 

The Structure and Operation of the IBSFC are laid down in the "Rules of Procedure" which can be found under chapter Documentation.

The Commission meets annually -traditionally in September and generally in Warsaw- and provides the Contracting Parties with recommendations to be implemented in their respective fishery zones during the next calendar year.

The Commission elects its Chairman among the Delegates for a period of four years. He presides the Plenary Sessions. There are two Standing Committees to prepare decisions to be taken by the Commission: one on Regulatory Measures and a second on Finance and Administration, each presided by a Chairman, elected for a period of two years. The list of "Officers of the Commission" can be found in chapter Documentation.

The Standing Committee on Regulatory Measures analyses the scientific advice provided by the Advisory Committee on Fishery Management (ACFM) of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and prepares proposals for "Regulatory Measures" to be adopted by the Plenary.

In some cases, special Working Groups are created to discuss in the course of the year particular problems which need scientific background and thorough preparation. In recent years, the number of Working Groups has increased and it was even necessary to organise two Extraordinary Sessions in Spring to deal with Salmon management and with the discussion of the "Agenda 21" for the Baltic Sea.

According to the Rules of Procedure for the Commission each Contracting Party has one vote in the Commission. There are now 6 Contracting Parties: the European Community (representing Denmark, Germany, Finland and Sweden), Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the Russian Federation. Consensus is the goal of the decision making process in IBSFC to make the IBSFC recommendations binding to all Contracting Parties and all Fishery Zones in the Baltic Sea.

In most recent years all IBSFC recommendations have been adopted unanimously. In the absence of consensus, decisions and recommendations of the Commission are taken by a two-third majority of votes. According to Article XI there is an objection period of 90 days from the date of the notification of a recommendation. If a Contracting Party objects during this period, it is not bound by this recommendation.

Full account of the deliberations and decisions of the International Baltic Sea Fishery Commission can be found in the "Proceedings" which are published and distributed after each Session;