Dutch Celebrate Four Votes on PECH while Ireland Have None
Dutch fishermen are celebrating their enviable position of influence in the new term of the European Parliament. Despite the Netherlands having just 2% of EU waters, there are four Dutch MEPS on the newly announced European Fisheries Committee (PECH). The Netherlands also took the Vice Chair of the committee, at its first meeting last week.
Meanwhile, Ireland with 12% of EU fishing waters has no MEP on the 27-member PECH committee.
In its communication to members, Dutch fishermen’s association, Nederlandse Visserbond, has expressed satisfaction that two of the four MEPs have prior experience on the PECH committee. A third, Sander Smit served as a policy officer to a member of the PECH committee in the previous term. Smit, a nominee of the European People’s Party has been elected as the Vice-Chairman of the committee. With such strong representation, the association is confident the Dutch will have a stronger voice in shaping the common fisheries policy to align with their interests.
The shock news that Ireland on the other hand will have no full members on the committee has sent shivers through our industry. It means we will have limited opportunity to participate in debates on fisheries issues. Crucially, it also means that we will have no right to vote on key fisheries policy. Given the second round of the post-Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) is up for debate in 2025, the timing could not be worse. In the last round of these Brexit-Trade and Co-operation Agreement talks in 2020, 40% of the quota given to the United Kingdom came from Ireland. So, the new talks represent a vital opportunity to regain a more equitable share of the quota lost in that terrible deal.
It would appear that no Irish MEP from Fiánna Fail or Fine Gael sought membership of the Fisheries Committee. This constitutes a total failure at EU level by the Irish Government to represent Irish fishing interests.
Since the inception of the European Fisheries Committee 30 years ago, Ireland has had representation on the committee. Notably, Donegal MEP Pat the Cope Gallagher served on the PECH committee for three terms. Most recently, Ireland South MEP Grace O’Sullivan served on the PECH committee from 2019 to 2024. It makes the vacuum in this critical term even more shocking.
Independent Roscommon MEP Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan is one of 26 substitute members of the PECH committee. It means he can attend meetings and access documentation but does not have full voting rights. This puts Ireland on par with Slovakia, a landlocked country that also has one substitute member.
This fact would be startling enough, were it not for the fact that another landlocked country, Hungary, has one full voting member. How can that be, when Ireland as a fishing nation is left with no voice at the table? It forces me and other Irish fishing leaders to question the whole selection process for the PECH committee. Why are we left out in the cold while other countries are heavily represented?
In addition to the Netherlands having four representatives, Spain tops the list with five of the 27 members, while France also has four. Sweden has three members, and Croatia – with a population over a million lower than Ireland – has two members.
EU committee members are appointed following nomination by the European Parliament grouping they belong to. In a recent statement, Independent Ireland MEP Ciaran Mullooly, who sits with the Renew grouping, said he did seek membership of the PECH committee. However, he was told preference for places typically goes to those MEPs who were members in the previous parliament.
In my eyes, this equates to a total failure on the part of EU to ensure that Irish fishing is represented and protected within the parliament. Ireland’s rich marine resources are continually being undervalued by our own Government and the EU.
PECH votes on crucial fishing matters like new legislation, control procedures, directives, and under the Lisbon Treaty can initiate a review of the Common Fisheries Policy. This is particularly crucial for Ireland as despite having 12% of EU Waters, we presently have just 5.6% of the fishing quotas. With no full voting member on the Fisheries committee for the first time, this will most likely be reduced further. Ireland owns 29% of fishing waters in the Northeast Atlantic, an area heavily fished by other EU member states and non-member states. This is by far the largest waters of any EU state outside the Mediterranean.
Yet, Ireland is in a precarious position, with no voice of influence at committee level. In addition to the next round of the TCA talks, there is a planned Evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy. Both of these key matters are of strategic importance to Irish fishing communities and our nation’s food security. I call on the Government parties, Fiánna Fail and Fine Gael to confirm that none of their eight MEPs sought membership of the Fisheries Committee and to explain why?
With no representation at the Fisheries Committee, we are reliant on MEPs from other Member States who have different priorities and who compete with us for fishing rights. How does the Government intend to address what is now a serious democratic deficit for Ireland at EU level? Fishing industry leaders unite in a call for them to spell this out. We also call on the new EU Fisheries Commissioner once appointed, to outline how Ireland’s equal right to fish will be protected by the EU.
We cannot afford to wait another five years in the hope that the damage done can be rectified. All indicators are that the situation will become more dire for Irish fishing by 2029. We urgently need our Government to speak-up and intervene now.