Vol. 577 No. 4
42 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources his views on recent proposals from the European Commission for aid to assist member states to meet the cost of monitoring and control under the common fisheries policy. [30413/03]
In late November, the European Commission presented a proposal for financial aid to assist member states to meet the cost of fisheries control. The proposal is welcome as it is intended to ensure that financial support is allocated efficiently and to address identified weaknesses within the combined Community fishery control effort.
I welcome the general approach of these proposals as I believe that this will assist the process of improving the level of transparency of fisheries control within the Community and ensuring that there are equally high standards of fishery conservation within the Community for the ultimate benefit of all fishermen. The proposals are being examined in detail to ensure that they meet Ireland's priorities in this area.
