Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-06-03-Speech-2-340"
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"en.20030603.10.2-340"2
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"Mr President, I address my remarks to the Stevenson report only. I have no difficulty with the other two.
The Commissioner forces the banks in our country to resolve his problem of too much tonnage in EU waters by driving our Irish fishing fleet into bankruptcy. Yes, you will get there, but I seriously question whether this is a method that we should even contemplate at this stage.
If we reduce the fishing effort to such an extent that fishermen cannot meet their legitimate repayments there is no future for them. Yes, you will possibly achieve your goal, but at what cost to this most important industry?
I come back to the issue of the Irish Box. Yes, Commissioner, there is no need to paint the picture of the return of the Spanish Armada. There are 40 Spanish factory vessels in the Irish Box as we speak. They are allowed in there at the moment. The issue here is whether another 120 should be allowed into this very biologically sensitive area, not just the 40 that are there, but three or four times as many. There is no discrimination against the Spanish fleet. They are there now, as well as the French, Belgians and the Irish. But the present numbers of Spanish vessels in the Irish Box hoover up more fish than the whole Irish fishing effort can do itself. There is something wrong with a system that allows that off the coastal waters of Ireland. Are these not our waters in that sense? The very name 'Irish Box' I accept is emotive, but this is an issue in which we must have equity.
If we base our discussion and our debate on the advice of our scientists, on ICES and others who insist that for conservation we must restrict fishing effort in this area, in these most sensitive spawning and nursery grounds, if we follow that line we must be absolutely consistent and restrict right through. You cannot say to the French, the Belgians and the Irish 'no, you must restrict your effort', while at the same time effectively say to the Spaniards 'you can increase your effort four-fold. There is no equity in that. No discrimination against the Spaniards is intended here. If we go with the scientific argument, let us have some scientific rigour and be consistent and fair all round."@en1
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