Today senior members of the European Parliament''s Fisheries Committee called on Štefan Füle to block Iceland''s accession to the EU until it agrees to a fair settlement of the dispute over mackerel.
Speaking following the meeting with Commissioner Füle, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement & Neighbourhood Policy, Struan Stevenson MEP, Senior Vice President of the Fisheries Committee said:
"We informed Commissioner Füle that there have been 11 separate rounds of negotiation with Iceland over their arbitrary decision to catch 150,000t of mackerel every year, but they have refused to come to any agreement. Their appalling behaviour is now being mirrored by the Faroes, who have also decided to catch 150,000t of mackerel this year. The ICES scientists who advise the EU on maximum levels of fishing have stated that the safe ceiling for mackerel catches between the EU and Norway should not exceed 580,000t this year. Together, Iceland and the Faroes will add a further 300,000t to that total, endangering the entire stock, which could now be in imminent danger of collapse.
He continued to say that the Fisheries Committee has repeatedly asked Iceland and the Faroes to accept a fair share of the overall 580,000t quota, but instead “they are ignoring all scientific advice and performing a greedy smash and grab raid on this stock of north east Atlantic mackerel”.
He said this is dangerously unsustainable behaviour and puts at risk many thousands of jobs in the EU and Norwegian pelagic fisheries sector if the stock collapses through overfishing.
The Fisheries Committee asked Commissioner Füle to ensure that no further progress is made on Iceland's negotiations to join the EU until a resolution to this issue can be found.
He said the Fisheries Committee is currently examining proposals for sanctions against Iceland and the Faroes on all fish products exported into Europe, as well as banning their vessels from EU ports and harbours.
He concluded, “Commissioner Füle said the show of unity across the political spectrum displayed by our delegation reflected the seriousness of the situation. He assured us that the matter is being dealt with at the highest level in the Commission.”
