Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-01-17-Speech-4-023"
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"en.20020117.2.4-023"2
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"Mr President, I am disappointed that the Commissioner is not here but I fully appreciate that he is ill and wish him well.
I should like to congratulate the rapporteur, Mrs Miguélez Ramos, for her work in producing this most important report after very extensive consultation. The whole purpose of the Green Paper on the common fisheries policy published in March of last year was to stimulate debate on the future of the common fisheries policy. It did indeed stimulate debate, particularly in my own country. The Commission called for thorough and urgent reform of the common fisheries policy. As a Member of Parliament representing a constituency in which many depend on the fishing industry, I share this view.
The debate and discussions generated by the Green Paper will be incorporated into the Commission's White Paper for consideration by the Council this year. I welcome the consultation process and can assure colleagues that in my Member State the authorities took care to carry out a broad and meaningful consultation. The marine minister set up a special review group in order to present a coherent response to all concerned. This is as it should be. Under the common fisheries policy, and indeed under other EU policies, there has been a tendency to make policy decisions without full consideration of the valuable views of those working and living in the sector concerned. Proposals and recommendations in response to the Green Paper on fisheries policy were produced by the Irish national strategy review group on the common fisheries policy, which was set up by the marine minister and included stakeholders. It is vitally important that they should be included at all times. No common fisheries policy or other policy can be successful unless the stakeholders play an important role in it.
No doubt the discussions this year in Council will be difficult. Important decisions have to be made in key areas, particularly the social and economic dimension of the common fisheries policy. It is my view, and one that I know is shared by many Members representing coastal regions, that the Green Paper does not address these aspects adequately. It takes little account of the importance of the fisheries sector in coastal regions where there is no alternative source of employment, be they in Ireland or elsewhere in the Community. There must be integration; with my country in mind, consideration must be given to fisheries policy, regional development policy, rural development policy and Objective 1 areas.
I welcome the frankness with which the Commission has spelled out the current state of European fisheries and many proposed changes, if implemented, would help to solve some of the current difficulties. A number of additional critical changes must be made to further strengthen the common fisheries policy. Greater involvement of fishermen and stakeholders in the management process is long overdue. Involving fishermen will do a great deal to improve the credibility of any future policy. Genuine regionalisation of management and control will greatly benefit the sector. I would urge the Commission to underpin the decentralisation process by creating a Europe-wide network of regional advisory committees.
Unless practical and feasible changes are made to the control system, fisheries policy will not have the confidence of fishermen and will certainly fail. My country has benefited greatly from membership of the European Union over the years. However, the fishing industry has paid too high a price in having to share its abundant fishing grounds off the west coast of Ireland with greedy neighbours. If there is a depletion of stocks it is not Irish fishermen but some greedy neighbours in other Member States who are responsible for it."@en1
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