Annex 1 — PROCEDURE AND CONDITIONS FOR THE APPROVAL OF AMENDMENTS TO THE PROTOCOL TO BE ADOPTED BY THE JOINT COMMITTEE

1. Where the Joint Committee is asked to adopt amendments to the Protocol in accordance with Article 12 of the Agreement and Articles 4 and 7 of the Protocol, the Commission is authorised to negotiate with the Government of Greenland and the Government of Denmark and, where appropriate and subject to compliance with point 3, approve the proposed amendments to the Protocol on behalf of the Union in respect of the following issues: (a) adjustment of the fishing opportunities and, as a consequence, of the financial contribution referred to in Article 3 of the Protocol; (b) sectoral support arrangements in accordance with Article 4 of the Protocol; (c) the technical conditions and arrangements under which Union vessels carry out their fishing activities. 2. Within the Joint Committee, the Union shall: (a) act in accordance with the objectives of the common fisheries policy; (b) promote positions that are consistent with the relevant rules adopted by regional fisheries management organisations and take account of joint management by coastal States. 3. When a decision on amendments to the Protocol as referred to in point 1 is to be adopted during a Joint Committee meeting, the necessary steps shall be taken so as to ensure that the position to be expressed on behalf of the Union takes account of the latest statistical, biological and other relevant information transmitted to the Commission. 4. To that effect and on the basis of that information, a document setting out the particulars of the proposed Union position shall be transmitted by the Commission, in sufficient time before the relevant Joint Committee meeting, to the Council or to its preparatory bodies for consideration and approval. 5. In respect of the issues referred to in point 1(a), the approval of the proposed Union position by the Council shall require a qualified majority in the Council, in accordance with Article 16(3) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). In the other cases, the Union position proposed in the preparatory document shall be deemed to be agreed, unless a number of Member States equivalent to a blocking minority in the Council, in accordance with Article 16(4) TEU, objects during a meeting of the Council’s preparatory body or within 20 days of receipt of the preparatory document, whichever occurs earlier. In the event of such an objection, the matter shall be referred back to the Council. 6. If, in the course of subsequent meetings of the Joint Committee, including on-the-spot meetings, it is impossible to reach an agreement, the matter shall be referred back to the Council or its preparatory bodies, in order for the Union position to take account of new factors. 7. The Commission is invited to take, in due time, any steps necessary as a follow-up to the decision of the Joint Committee, including, where appropriate, publishing the relevant decision in the Official Journal of the European Union and submitting any proposal necessary for the implementation of that decision.