Brussels, 26/05/2003 (Agence Europe) - The compromise presented on Monday by the Greek Presidency, in agreement with the Commission, for settling the problem of the Irish Box, was criticised by two of the Member States mainly involved and whose interests in the dossier appear irreconcilable, namely Spain and Ireland (EUROPE 24 May p 8). Spanish Minister, Miguel Aria Canete, described the system for managing fishing capacity proposed by the Presidency as "discriminatory". This system takes into account a reference period (1998-2002) during which his country will be subject to restrictions in the Irish Box. He also thought that the setting up of an organic zone for protecting young cod (in the south and west of Ireland covering a quarter of the current Irish Box) was very harmful to Spain. On the other hand he indicate that Spain could agree to the Presidency's present on the reduction from a 200 miles zone to a 50 mile zone for restricting tuna fishing access in waters of remote areas such as Madera and the Azores. This suggestion was rejected by Portugal. While considering that the compromise constituted a "step in the right direction", the Irish Minister of Fisheries, Dermot Ahern, believed that the approach proposed had to be rejected unless there were substantial amendments. He also believed that it would allow for the setting up of an effective system that would put an end to increasing fishing efforts and which would maintain the current balance in the fishing zones concerned, as well as the sensitive zone around Ireland. France and Spain are also opposed to the seeing up of fishing capacity limitation measures, which have just been added to Total Allowable Catches (TAC and quotas).
The Presidency and the Commission hope to find an agreement on the subject during the June Council but Ireland is rather pessimistic, especially because other Member States intervened in the debate which means finding a compromise is even more difficult.
Commissioner Franz Fischler declared during a press conference that the proposal put forward was not "discriminatory" and that the ideas should be accepted by all the parties concerned. He appealed for an amicable political solution between the parties that, "for the instant, the recommendations by the Council and Commission legal services diverged. Therefore the debate has not allowed us to go forward. If both parties are insisting on the legal recommendation in their favour, there is just one possibility of sorting out the dispute, that's going to the Court of Justice (a threat that is always made by Spain: Editor's note) to ask who is right…but that could last two years. And we don't want to wait two years