Marine Minister Charlier McConalogue has put a review of the Common Fisheries Policy as a top priority for Ireland at the EU Fisheries Council today.
The Donegal Minister is in Luxembourg for discussions in preparation for negotiations on setting quotas for 2023.
Minister Mc Conalogue said “I noted that considerable progress has been made over the recent years in setting sustainable quotas for our important fisheries. I supported the commitment to delivering quotas for 2023 that build on the progress we have made. I emphasised in particular the importance of the EU addressing effectively the current unsustainable behaviour of Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands setting unilateral unsustainable quotas for mackerel and blue whiting.”
The Minister praised the efforts of all fisheries stakeholders for their ongoing contribution to delivering on the CFP’s core ambition of sustainable fisheries management. He raised again the disproportionate impacts of the EU/UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement on Ireland’s quotas “I made clear at Council that we need a full CFP review that takes stock of the disproportionate impacts imposed on the Irish fishing industry by Brexit and the outcome of the EU-UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA). If we are to continue to build on our hard-won progress, we must acknowledge and take stock of the many ways that our fisheries landscape has been totally transformed by Brexit and the TCA. This will allow us to find solutions in a spirit of solidarity within the Union to adapt and once again thrive in, our totally new post Brexit environment.”
The Minister concluded, saying: “I have assured Commissioner Sinkevicius that I will continue to work closely and constructively with him and with fellow Member States on these challenges to build a sustainable future for our fishing industry.”
