Gallagher protests at EU voting on fishing reports

THE Fianna Fail MEP, Mr Pat "The Cope" Gallagher walked out of the European Parliament in Strasbourg yesterday in protest at the failure to debate key reports on fisheries.

Mr Gallagher, who is MEP for Connacht Ulster, expressed fury at the parliament's decision to vote, without debate, on the reports. The studies related to the proposed 40 per cent reduction of the EU fishing fleet, which Mr Gallagher opposes, technical conservation measures and satellite monitoring.

The fleet reduction and satellite monitoring reports were accepted, while the technical conservation study was referred back to committee.

The Fianna Fail MEP said he "made no apologies for defending the Irish fishing industry and for highlighting the fact that it had paid too high a price for EU membership".

He called for a full and immediate review of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), and said that the destruction of fish stocks was riot the result of Irish over fishing, but was the fault of indiscriminate activity by foreign vessels off this coast.

In a separate development, the Irish Fishermen's Federation (IFF), which represents the three main industry bodies, appealed to the Taoiseach and Tanaiste yesterday to ensure that a full review of the CFP was on the Inter Governmental Conference (IGC) agenda.

Recent comments by the EU Fisheries Commissioner, Ms Emma Bonino, had made it clear that the changes, due to be voted on in 2002, had to be initiated at the IGC, Mr Donal O'Driscoll, chairman of the IFF, and Mr Tom Hassett, secretary, said.

Late last month, the EU Fisheries Commissioner told The Irish Times that an open consultation on the policy review would be initiated next year, by establishing a task force which would hear views through the EU on reform.

However, this week Ms Bonino qualified her remarks by saying that any new ideas on equal access to the marine resource would have to be "legal and compatible" with existing and new treaties, or "whatever is the outcome of the IGC, if any".

The Commissioner said that the IGC would be the last chance, to make EU treaty changes relating to fisheries policy, such as the flagship issue, before 2002.

Some 140 British and Irish registered Spanish flagships working off the Irish coasts have become a major bone of contention, but Ireland did not support Britain in a debate on the problem at the October fisheries council.

The IFF said that unless a proper review of the CFP was carried out, Ireland's "disastrous" position would be made even worse.