(8) ‘scientific observer’ means a person appointed to observe fishing operations in the context of data collection for scientific purposes and designated by a body in charge of the implementation of the national work plans for data collection;

1. As provided for in Article 25 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013, Member States shall coordinate their data collection activities with other Member States in the same marine region and shall make every effort to coordinate their actions with third countries having sovereignty or jurisdiction over waters in the same marine region.
2. In order to facilitate regional coordination, regional coordination groups shall be established by the relevant Member States for each marine region.
3. Regional coordination groups shall aim at developing and implementing procedures, methods, quality assurance and quality control for collecting and processing data with a view to enabling the reliability of scientific advice to be further improved. For that purpose, regional coordination groups shall aim to develop and implement regional databases.
4. Regional coordination groups shall consist of experts appointed by Member States, including national correspondents, and the Commission.
5. Regional coordination groups shall draw up and agree on rules of procedures for their activities.
6. Regional coordination groups shall coordinate with each other and with the Commission, where issues affect several marine regions.
7. Representatives of relevant end-users of scientific data, including the appropriate scientific bodies as referred to in Article 26 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013, regional fisheries management organisations, Advisory Councils and third countries shall be invited to attend the meetings of the regional coordination groups as observers, where necessary. ▼B 02017R1004 — EN — 14.07.2021 — 001.001 — 9
8. Regional coordination groups may prepare draft regional work plans, which shall be compatible with this Regulation and with the multiannual Union programme. Those draft regional work plans may include procedures, methods, quality assurance and quality control for collecting and processing data as referred to in points (a) and (b) of paragraph 2 and in paragraph 5 of Article 5, regionally coordinated sampling strategies and conditions for delivery of data in regional databases. They may also contain cost-sharing arrangements for participation in research surveys at sea.
9. Where a draft regional work plan is prepared, the Member States concerned shall submit it to the Commission by 31 October of the year preceding the year from which the regional work plan is to apply, unless an existing plan still applies, in which case the Member States concerned shall notify the Commission thereof. The Commission may approve a draft regional work plan by means of an implementing act. Such implementing act shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 25(2). For that purpose, the Commission shall take into account, where relevant, the evaluation of STECF as referred to in Article 10. If such evaluation indicates that a draft regional work plan does not comply with this Article or does not ensure the scientific relevance of the data or sufficient quality of the proposed methods and procedures, the Commission shall immediately inform the Member States concerned and indicate amendments to that draft work plan that the Commission considers necessary. Subsequently, the Member States concerned shall submit a revised draft regional work plan to the Commission.
10. A regional work plan shall be considered to replace or supplement the relevant parts of the national work plans of each of the Member States concerned.
11. The Commission may adopt implementing acts laying down rules on procedures, cost-sharing arrangements for participation in research surveys at sea, the area of marine region for the purpose of data collection, and format and timetables for the submission and approval of regional work plans, as referred to in paragraph 8 of this Article. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 25(2).

1. Member States shall ensure that, in order to carry out their duties, data collectors designated by the body in charge of the implementation of the national work plan have access to all catches, vessels and other sampling sites, business registers and any necessary data.
2. The masters of Union fishing vessels shall accept on board scientific observers and cooperate with them in order to allow them to discharge their duties while on board Union fishing vessels, as well as the use of alternative data collection methods, where appropriate, set out in national work plans, without prejudice to international obligations.
3. The masters of Union fishing vessels may refuse to accept on board the scientific observers operating under the at-sea monitoring scheme only on the basis of an obvious lack of space on the vessel or for safety reasons in accordance with national law. In such cases, data shall be collected through alternative data collection methods which are set out in the national work plan and designed and controlled by the body in charge of the implementation of the national work plan.