Brussels, 13/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - After ten months of difficult negotiations, the fisheries ministers of the EU Member States reached a political agreement on a proposal of compromise from the Italian Presidency (in accord with the European Commission), establishing a new system for reducing fishing in western waters, and mainly in the protected 50-mile zone along the Irish coast ("Irish Box"). The text essentially provides for: - the establishment of a sensitive biological zone limited to a quarter of the current Irish Box (in south-eastern Ireland only); - a list of vessels authorised to fish by taking the period 1998-2002 as a reference; - the reduction from 200 to 100 miles of the exclusion zone in very outlying areas (Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands) to allow the Spanish to fish more in these waters for certain demersal species, deep water species and tuna; - a revision clause for this sensitive biological zone by 31 December 2008 at the latest.
The main parties interested and adversaries in this issue, namely Spain and Ireland, did not rally to the compromise text for diametrically opposed reasons. Spain, which challenges the very principle of sensitive biological area, reserved itself the right to initiate proceedings at the Court of Justice against a text considered discriminatory, when it was to embody the full integration of Spain and Portugal in common fisheries policy. Ireland, for its part, would have liked to keep the Irish Box as it was in order to avoid increased fishing activity in that area. The qualified majority was reached thanks to the fact that France changed its stance to fall into line with the satisfied Member States. France obtained a Commission commitment to present a fishing management plan for sedentary species in waters of the Channel and western Channel, namely coquilles Saint-Jacques, sea spiders and edible crabs. France insists on the need to have good resource management through a system of fishing activity for species which are not subject to total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas.
Commissioner Franz Fischler launched an appeal for fishermen in Ireland and Spain to agree on the best possible compromise allowing not only an end to be put to discrimination which existed hitherto but also in order to safeguard a sensitive area where stocks are threatened. Mr Fischler pointed out that this new system for reducing fishing effort could take effect next year.
The other elements of the compromise are as follows: - the minimum size of the vessels covered by the proposal is 15 metres in length (whereas the initial proposal provided for 10 metres); - the unit of measure for calculating the fishing capacity of the fleet for fixed and mobile nets is the kilowatt-day system.