The Agreement for the Establishment of a General Fisheries Council for the Mediterranean (GFCM) was approved by the FAO Conference at its Fifth Session (November 1949).

In accordance with Article IX (now XII), the Agreement came into force on 20 February 1952, date of receipt of the fifth instrument of acceptance. The Agreement was registered with the Secretariat of the United Nations on 5 April 1952 under No. 1691.

Amendments were approved by the Twelfth Session of the Conference (1963). At its Thirteenth Session (July 1976), the GFCM adopted further amendments to the Agreement. The amendments to the Agreement were approved by the Seventieth Session of the FAO Council (December 1976). The amendments referred to in this paragraph entered into force for all the parties to the Agreement.

Parties to the Agreement

The following participants deposited their instruments of acceptance on the corresponding date indicated:

Participant	Acceptance
Albania	10 Apr 1991
Algeria	11 Dec 1967
Bulgaria 1	3 Nov 1969
Croatia	22 May 1995
Cyprus	10 Jun 1965
Egypt	19 Feb 1951
European Community	25 Jun 1998
France	8 Jul 1952
Greece	7 Apr 1952
Israel	20 Feb 1952
Italy	29 May 1950
Japan	12 Jun 1997
Lebanon	14 Nov 1960
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya	13 May 1963
Malta	29 Apr 1965
Monaco	14 May 1954
Morocco	17 Sep 1956
Republic of Serbia2	27 April 1992
Romania	19 Feb 1971
Slovenia	25 May 2000
Spain	19 Oct 1953
Syrian Arab Republic	12 Dec 1975
Tunisia	22 Jun 1954
Turkey	6 Apr 1954
United Kingdom 3	20 Nov 1950

notes 1. Acceptance effected under the procedure provided for in paragraph 4, Rule XXI of the General Rules of the Organization, subject to the deposit of a formal instrument of acceptance. The formal instrument was deposited with the Director-General on 3 July 1972.

2. On 8 January 2003, the Director-General received a notification of succession from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as a successor State of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Subsequently, on 6 February 2003, the Director-General received a new notification informing him that the name “Federal Republic of Yugoslavia” has been changed to “Serbia and Montenegro”. On 12 June 2006, the Director-General received a further notification informing that the Republic of Serbia is continuing the membership of “Serbia and Montenegro” in FAO and all its organs, on the basis of Article 60 of the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro, activated by the Declaration of Independence adopted by the National Assembly of Montenegro on 3 June 2006, and that the name “Republic of Serbia” is to be henceforth used instead of the name “Serbia and Montenegro”. Consequently, the Republic of Serbia is considered a party to the GFCM as of 27 April 1992, date on which the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia assumed responsibility for its international relations. On 18 April 2007, the Director-General received a notification of withdrawal by the Republic of Serbia. Withdrawal becomes effective on 17 July 2007, i.e. three months from the date of its receipt by the Director-General.

3. The United Kingdom, which had become a Party to the Agreement on 20 November 1950, deposited a notification of withdrawal on 25 March 1968. In accordance with paragraph 1, Article XII of the Agreement, the notification of withdrawal became effective three months from the date of its receipt by the Director-General.

4. Article XIII referred to is now Article XV.

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Declarations and Reservations

 Bulgaria

(Reservation made upon acceptance):

"The People's Republic of Bulgaria will not consider itself bound by the decisions of the International Court of Justice with respect to disputes referred to the latter, in accordance with Article XIII of the Agreement, without the consent of the Government of the People's Republic of Bulgaria being given with regard to the specific dispute."⁴

At its Twenty-second Session held in Rome from 13 to 16 October 1997, the GFCM adopted two sets of amendments which were approved by the FAO Council at its 113th Session (4-6 November 1997). The first set of amendments concerned changes inter alia to allow for regional economic integration organizations that are Members of FAO to become members of GFCM and to change the name of GFCM into "General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean". These amendments came into force upon the concurrence of the FAO Council and do not need any further procedure for acceptance. The second set of amendments which provide for new obligations for the Contracting Parties requires formal acceptance from these Parties. Such amendments came into force on 29 April 2004, on their acceptance by two-thirds of the Members of the Commission and thereafter for each Member on its acceptance thereof.

Participant	Acceptance
Albania	10 Oct 2003
Algeria	26 Apr 2005
Bulgaria	29 Nov 2006
Croatia	28 Nov 2003
Cyprus	3 Aug 2000
European Community	27 Jul 2000
France	30 Oct 2002
Greece	29 Aug 2002
Italy	23 Aug 2000
Japan	30 July 2004
Lebanon	4 Mar 2005
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya	23 Dec 2003
Malta	23 Dec 1999
Monaco	12 Jun 2001
Montenegro	31 Jan 2008
Morocco	24 July 2006
Romania	1 Oct 2003
Republic of Serbia	8 Jan 2003
Slovenia	29 Apr 2004
Spain	15 Feb 2002
Tunisia	30 Jun 2003
Turkey	5 Jun 2000

 Algeria

 (Reservation made upon acceptance of the amendments)

 "The Government of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria does not consider itself bound by the provisions of Article XV of the above-mentioned amendments, which provide that disputes regarding the interpretation or the implementation of the present Convention, which is not governed by negotiations, be submitted to the International Court of Justice. The Government of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria declares that, in order for any disputes to be brought before the International Court of Justice, the approval by all parties shall be necessary in each case."