EU fish policy causes stinking row

A row that threatens to become as big as the one that saw the European Commission sacked almost three years ago has broken out over a new fish policy.

The Spanish government has been accused of putting illegal pressure on the Commission to change the policy that would see big cut backs in all, including the Spanish, fishing fleet.

A full scale investigation has been demanded by Danish MEP Jens-Peter Bonde following the sacking of the head of the department that produced the new Common Fish Policy and an indefinite delay in its publication.

“It looks like we are back to the situation where a Commission was forced to resign because of bad behaviour”, he said.

He wants an independent investigation of the situation and the attempt to cover it up.

The Spanish fish minister Miguel Arias Canete said on Spanish television last week that they had instructed their commissioners to try to stop the reform.

In a letter, leaked to the media yesterday, Spanish commissioner, Loyola de Palacio, clearly puts pressure on Fisheries Commissioner Franz Fischler, to change the Policy and forcefully sets out the Spanish case.

Ms Palacio is Commissioner for Transport and Energy and vice president of the European

Commission.

Mr Fischler refused to bow to the pressure and five days later on Sunday 21 April the Spanish prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar, telephoned Commission president Romano Prodi demanding changes.

Two days later the fisheries director general, Steffen Smidt, was effectively sacked and the reform document due to be discussed by the Commission was postponed.

A Commission spokesperson at the time said the document was not finished and denied Mr Smidt was moved because of political pressure.

Under EU rules it is illegal for national governments to put pressure on the Commissioners who are supposed to be independent and concerned with the good of the EU as a whole.

Irish Commissioner David Byrne said yesterday no Irish government officials had been in touch with him about the new fish policy. “Everyone is aware that reform is needed”, he said.

Irish fishermen have joined a lobby that includes Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy and France to have the thrust of the fish reform policy changed.

Scientists have warned that many fish species are in danger of disappearing and the Commission believes the only way to tackle this is to reduce the EU fleet.

However the Irish view is that with 11% of the waters and just 3% of the fleet, grants to renew and improve the Irish fleet should continue.

Fine Gael spokesperson on Marine, Alan Dukes, called for the government to fight for continued aid to fleet renewal.

“Now the damage to fish stocks has been done by irresponsible skippers from other member states, Irish fishermen should not have to shoulder the burden of resolving the problem

they did not create”, he said.