Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-06-14-Speech-3-373"
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"en.20060614.22.3-373"2
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".
Mr President, let me begin with
as we say in the Irish language – meaning ‘a few words’ – on the title of this report. Following the final vote in committee I was asked if I would be prepared to accept an amendment in plenary to modify the title of the report, which refers to ‘fishermen’, so as to implicitly recognise the important role played by women in that important sector. It will not come as any surprise to you that I fully support the Miguélez Ramos/Kindermann amendment, which is totally consistent with the contents of the report and simply introduces the notion of gender equality in the title.
Commissioner Borg, this report and this Parliament are calling on you to consider a new Community initiative for this important sector of activity. The men and women involved in the inshore fisheries sector are calling on you to consider a new Community approach. I believe that we have an obligation not to disappoint them. Knowing your personal commitment to fisheries, I know that you will not disappoint them.
Like you, I learned on Monday that this amendment was inadmissible. Like many of you I found that hard to believe. However, you will be pleased to know that this evening the Conference of Presidents has approved the change in the title of my report. From the outset, had I been allowed to draft this report in the Irish language, the problem would not have arisen because I would have used the word
which, unlike the English word ‘fisherman’, is gender-neutral and embraces all those involved in the sector.
There is an urgent need to comprehensively address the multiple problems in the inshore fishing sector in the European Union. This aspect of the fisheries sector is the poor relation that has been ignored for far too long. The subject matter is vast and varied. It concerns every single coastal Member State, in most instances in totally different ways. That is one area of the fisheries sector where there is the odd reference, here and there, among the plethora of EU legislation, but no Community rules and regulations that specifically cater for the sector. I believe that anomaly has to be corrected.
Inshore fishing essentially takes place in waters that come under exclusive national jurisdiction, and yet inshore fishermen, in many instances, are subjected to common fisheries policy regulations while reaping few of the benefits. Inshore fishing is about the economic and social fabric of our small coastal communities. It makes a vital contribution to local economies where, in many instances, there is precious little else in the way of work. Inshore fishery activities essentially maintain the social fabric of those communities. They are also essential for the preservation of cultural traditions and practices, which must be preserved. And yet that sector has been ignored for far too long.
The future development of the inshore fisheries sector is dependent on social change. It is dependent on the existence of appropriate representative bodies. It is dependent on creating demand for improved added value produce through appropriate marketing structures. It is dependent on resolving the economic aspects that influence operating costs. Most importantly, it is dependent on the adoption of appropriate EU programmes specifically designed to help the sector. The inshore fisheries sector is badly in need of development and modernisation. That includes boat modernisation, notably where safety on board is concerned.
We must devise measures to minimise the effects of the increase of variable costs that results from high fuel prices. If that means adapting boat engines so that they can run on a high percentage of alternative fuels such as bioethenol then we must take the necessary measures to adapt boat engines accordingly.
We must do all we can to attract young men and women to the sector in order to ensure its continuity. I fear that will be impossible if we do not implement adequate vocational training systems geared towards concerned groups of the inshore fisheries population, not least the development of marketing skills. I believe that we must develop new ways of commercialisation and fully integrate coastal fishermen into the marketing process. We must also enhance cooperation and communication channels between organisation and stakeholders concerned.
My report is not – as some lobbyists would believe – an attack on recreational fishing in any one Member State. It is about the specific social, economic and environmental problems of the entire small inshore fishing sector in all Member States of the European Union. It is about promoting sustainable fishing.
This report is a contribution to resolving problems in the inshore fishing sector, not to creating new ones. My approach is to try to find the appropriate solutions so that different economic interests are catered for in a mutually acceptable way. It would be incorrect for any interest group to read any other interpretation into the text."@en1
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"cúpla focl"1
"iascaire"1
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