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Cóir Date: 15.03.2010 A new, investigative report by Fishsubsidy.org has shown that the EU has subsidized fishing firms, convicted of breaking the EU’s own regulations, to the tune of 14 million Euro. The report only looked at the incidence of law-breaking and subsequent EU subsidy for France and Spain, so it is thought that the figure could grow, as more member states are investigated.
But, speaking on behalf of the Irish Fishermen’s Organisation, Caitlin Ni Aodha told the Cóir office: “It is obvious from this news, that what we’re talking about generally applies to big fishing firms, companies and corporations, like they have in Spain. These companies are able to absorb fines, in the order of 35,000 Euro, as part of their business operations, unlike the smaller, individual fishermen, like we have here in Ireland, for whom such fines generally mean bankruptcy.”
“In other words,” she continued, “big Spanish fishing corporations can afford to break the law – and subsequently get subsidized – whereas the little guy, whose family has been fishing for generations, can be fined off the seas for one small infraction. It is no secret that EU Commission law favours the fishing corporations over individual fishermen.”
In response to the damning report, the EU Commission blamed the member states, saying that they, not it, were responsible for awarding subsidies. But, under EU directives, criminal action is not an excluding factor when a vessel applies for EU subsidy.
“The Common Fisheries Policy is fundamentally flawed,” said Ni Aodha, continuing: “What we want to see is the return of control of their own fisheries to the member states themselves. Quotas set by Brussels and preference given to the most egregious offenders with the least coastline, like Spain, points to the fact that the EU would like to consolidate all vessels into an ‘all-EU fleet’. What they are allowing now – and subsidizing with our taxes – is the beginnings of what they are grasping for in the future. Ireland have given enough...have had our fishing stock decimated by EU bureaucrats who no more care about the seas than they care about the small fishing communities being hurt by their regulations – and now they want it all. We say enough is enough; it’s time to renegotiate a better deal for Ireland.”
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