Time to Vote on CFP Reform
On 18th December the European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee will vote on Mrs Rodust’s report to reform the broken Common Fisheries Policy.
Conservatives Seek to Block Vote
There are a set of compromise amendments that many of the Groups have signed up to. The Conservative Group, the EPP, in a strange Franco-Spanish-German alliance will not back the deal. They prefer a CFP reform that take us back in time to a CFP of the 1980s.
Why Not Back the Council?
I am still slightly confused why the progressives did not cut their losses and back the Council compromise negotiated by the Danish presidency. It will not have secured a major reform of the CFP, but it would have done a lot to allow regionalisation, deal with discards.
How Will They Vote?
I guestimate that on the morning of the 18th December, the fisheries committee will vote 15:10 against reform.
Will Ulster Say No?
I am interested to see how Diane Dodds, one of the N.Irish MEPs votes. Her advisor on fisheries is in fact a former fishermen and fishing leader from N.Ireland.
If the Fisheries Committee reject meaningful reform in a belated attempt to keep the corporate welfare cheques flowing to their constituencies it will be interesting to see how the the full Parliament votes.
Merge the Fishing Committee
Indications are that the full Parliament will back Rodust. The full Parliament will reject the conservatives blocking of reform.
If that happens, one has to ask if the fisheries committee has proven itself a viable committee. Committees can not exist isolated from all political realities. If the Committee finds itself ignored again the case for its merger into a resources committee in the new Parliament becomes ever stronger.