Written Answers. - Meeting with IFO.
Pat Cox
Question:
41
Mr. Cox
asked the
Minister for the Marine
if he will give further details on the explanation given to IFO delegation on 21 April 1993 in relation to Doc. 5765/92 Peche, 104, as referred to in the IFO Information Bulletin No. 3/93.
The Deputy is referring to a meeting which I had with the Irish Fishermen's Organisation on 21 April during which a wide range of questions of interest to the fishing industry was discussed. One of these related to the Review of the Common Fisheries Policy, which was concluded in December last. The document to which the Deputy refers is the Irish memorandum of the review of the Common Fisheries Policy which was submitted to the Council of Ministers in April, 1992.
This memorandum set out the constraints under which the Irish fishing industry operates and suggested ways in which these could be ameliorated in the context of the review of the Common Fisheries Policy. The memorandum identified four areas in particular where the Irish Government felt attention was required. These were
—the allocation of fish stocks to Ireland;
—targets for the size of the Irish fishing fleet;
—the need to maintain and strengthen the protection accorded to coastal fisheries; and
—the amelioration of Ireland's burden of fisheries control costs.
These issues were pursued vigorously all through 1992 with the full backing of the Government. The campaign to improve Ireland's position, apart from the normal political and diplomatic processes, included the exceptional step of initiating a case in the European Court of Justice on the matter of fleet targets.
A satisfactory outcome to the review of the CFP was reached at last December's Fisheries Council.
Ireland received a favourable outcome on fleet targets which will enable the existing fleet to be largely maintained as compared with the substantial reduction sought by the European Commission.
As regards protection for coastal fishermen, the existing 12-mile limit arrangements, which could have lapsed allowing access up to the beaches, were preserved.
On the matter of the costs of fishery protection, the Council made an important Declaration which opens the way for the first time for the support of the current costs of providing sea fisheries enforcement services. This matter will, I hope, be advanced substantially at the forthcoming June Council.
The key outstanding issue, however, relates to Ireland's allocation of fish stocks. As the Deputy will be aware, we are not satisfied that these are fair or reasonable and have sought appropriate adjustments. This would, of course, require other Member States to give up some of their existing entitlements. This they have not been prepared to date to contemplate but we are determined to press the case.
In this regard, the major achievement made at the December 1992 Fisheries Council was the obtaining of a Declaration from the Council that the outstanding issues in the Irish memorandum, and the allocation of fish stocks was the major outstanding issue, would be considered by the Council before 30 June 1993 on the basis of a written report by the Commission. This provides a framework and a basis for further pushing the Irish case, although no one should underestimate the difficulties which arise in this connection.
I have arranged to meet with the EC commissioner for Fisheries and the President of the European Council of Fisheries Minister with a view to emphasising the importance of this issue to Ireland. I will also be contacting the other Fisheries Ministers.
I am aware of a concern by the IFO that, should the Council be willing to accommodate Ireland, this could be technically rules out by the terms of the CFP Regulation adopted last December. This concern is unfounded. If additional allocations were to be made available to Ireland, this could be done without any amendment to the basic regulations which does not set out the specific allocation keys.
