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(1) On 21 October 2015 the Union and the Government of the Cook Islands initialled a Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (‘the Agreement’) and an Implementation Protocol thereto (‘the Protocol’), granting Union vessels fishing opportunities in the waters over which the Cook Islands has sovereign rights or jurisdiction in respect of fisheries.

(2) On 29 April 2016 the Council adopted Decision (EU) 2016/776 on the signing and provisional application of the Agreement and the Protocol.

(3) The method for allocating the fishing opportunities among the Member States should be defined, both for the period of provisional application and for the duration of the Protocol.

(4) Pursuant to Article 10(1) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1006/2008 , the Commission is to inform the Member States concerned if it appears that the fishing opportunities allocated to the Union under the Protocol are not fully utilised. The absence of a reply within a deadline to be set by the Council should be considered as confirmation that the vessels of the Member State concerned are not making full use of their fishing opportunities in the given period.

(5) Article 12 of the Protocol provides for the provisional application of the Protocol from the date of its signature. This Regulation should therefore apply from the date of signature of the Protocol,