Strasbourg, 17/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - Jens-Peter Bonde, leader of the Group of Europe of Democracies and Diversities in the European Parliament, has written to European Ombudsman Jacob Soederman asking him to conduct an "independent investigation into the Commission's handling of the proposal for reform of Fisheries Policy and the removal of Director General Mr. Steffen Smidt from his post". The investigation must concern all the people involved, all notes, documents and transcripts of telephone conversations, especially of Prodi's conversation with Aznar", said the Danish MEP, for whom, "these are by far the gravest accusations I have heard in my 23 years as MEP". (see, notably, EUROPE of 4 May, p.14). British Conservative MEP, Neil Parish, for his part, considered that Commissioner Loyola de Palacio should resign, accusing her of contributing to "a long campaign by Spain, including Prime Minister Aznar, to wreck the common fisheries policy".
You may recall that in the morning of 23 May, the European Commissioner for agriculture and fisheries, Franz Fischler will have a behind closed doors meeting with the members of the EP's Fisheries Committee.
As to substance, the President of the Liberal Group, Graham Watson insisted in Strasbourg on a reform of the fisheries policy ensuring sustainable development for the sector, and hoped that the Commission would propose reducing the capacities of fishing boats there where stocks were depleting but maintaining them there were there were large stocks. In addition, he hoped that the EU would alter its approach regarding fisheries agreements with developing countries.