Turning point: the EU’s one rule for Iceland, another for Ireland

Back to the grindstone again today (June 29th) and during my two weeks’ holidays I was keeping an occasional watching brief of news in the fishing industry and the one item that really caught my eye was of course the reports that the E.U. Commission was considering ‘sweetening the deal’ for Iceland to become a Member State by offering them exemption from the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) due to their unique status as an island nation with rich fish resources in their waters….

Iceland is set to hold a referendum on August 29th to decide whether to resume formal EU membership negotiations.

I read this with disbelief because apparently the criteria for this offer from the Commission was because of Iceland’s “unique status as an island nation with rich fish resources in their waters…”

Every single person in Ireland’s fish-related industries will be screaming to point out that Ireland more than matches this exact same criteria and yet is forced by the E.U. to accept only being given 14% of the quota in its own waters while the rest of this ‘golden goose’ is greedily set upon by the other member states.

There can be absolutely no denial of the fact that Ireland is an island nation with one of Europe’s richest marine resources but for decades has seen the so-called EU Commission ‘policy’ resulting in Irish fishing opportunities vastly reduced while other E.U. member states with stronger influence at Commission level benefit.

And, as the other member states build new vessels and increase fleet sizes based on the profits from fishing in Irish waters, the Irish fleet is shrinking, with many remaining vessel owners facing ruin because their quota allocation is unsustainable….. and this situation, in a kind of tragic self-fulfilling prophecy, will eventually result in Ireland having little or no voice (in fishing terms) at E.U. level because we are not being judged on the size of the waters we hold but on the number of fishing vessels we have.

Following reaction to the breaking news of the ‘no CFP deal’ for Iceland the EU Commission has not confirmed (nor denied) the details of the negotiations but EU officials have suggested there could be "flexibility" on fisheries rules to facilitate Iceland joining.

And, in what is surely a slap in the face to Ireland, EU Fisheries Commissioner Costas Kadis has hinted at “scope for flexibility” to accommodate Iceland, acknowledging the country's high dependence on marine resources.

So let’s be clear on two matters in particular:

… the E.U. Commission WILL acknowledge one nation’s high dependence on its marine resources (when it suits the EU’s needs to get Iceland to sign up to join), but WILL NOT recognise another Member State’s equally high dependence on its marine resources and the Commission happily doles out vast quota allowances to other nations in that State’s waters.                                                           

For decades we have seen and heard the EU Fisheries Commission insist that their Common Fisheries Policy, in conjunction with ICES’ scientific advice, was the best fisheries management tool in the world, and they have stubbornly stuck by it despite many nations, and particularly the UK prior to BREXIT, repeatedly saying the system is a failure….. but no, the Commission would not be moved.

But surely their effort to offer Iceland exemption from the CFP is, by way of their own admission, accepting that the CFP is indeed a cruel, corrupt and unsuccessful fisheries management system.                                                                                                                                                           

And every once in a while, when everyone begins to speak up in unison about what a failure the CFP is, then the EU Commission leak whispers about a ‘review’ and immediately weak politicians, trying to curry favour with the fishing industry back at home, will run around shouting about the ‘reform’ thats coming… as if they personally had something to doing with it….

And it’s noticeable that the EU Commission never once corrects these false rumours in various member states that a CFP reform is coming… because for them thats kicking the can down the road and deflecting the growing criticism … and then, two years later, a ‘new’ CFP document is launched, with a few minor text changes but essentially nothing of any substance has been altered.. and off we go again…. And it has been this strategy that has kept the CFP going for so many decades.

Reality check

But wait… let us just for a moment try to imagine what would happen if the EU actually did agree to give Ireland an exemption from the Common Fisheries Policy…..

Ireland, in fishing industry terms, has seen forty years of political incompetence…. Dithering at times when urgent action was needed; - - holding press conferences to make promises and talk about efforts being made but not once to actually announce radical changes to improve the issues of concern; - - establishing ‘stakeholder’ bodies that only include a minority of actual industry stakeholder groups; - - arranging ‘schemes’ so that they can show the public how they are ‘offering financial assistance’ to the industry but without saying that the same schemes are designed in such a manner that 75% of people will be too intimidated to even apply, and those that do apply might have to wait up to two years to get any payment;…….and meanwhile always coming out with industry reports that suit the government narrative.

And in this wonderful utopian world where the EU allows Ireland to manage its own fishing industry, the Government would presumably place this management control in the hands of the Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine (DAFM) …. A body of Irish civil servants with the reputation of weak people battling for power  - -  people with an inherent anti industry mindset and of using the SFPA as their personal police force and the High Courts as the punishment for anyone who dares stand up in defiance… but at the same time these weak civil servants never have to face the risk or danger of being held accountable for their actions.

So…. It’s a no-win situation …. Would you prefer our fishing industry be under the ruling of the EU Commission or under Ireland’s Department Against Fishermen & the Marine (DAFM)?

Photo credit: A Guide to Iceland