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Minister Charlie McConalogue meets with Michel Barnier on crucial Brexit fisheries negotiations with the UK

Minister Charlie McConalogue meets with Michel Barnier on crucial Brexit fisheries negotiations with the UK

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D, today attended a virtual meeting with EU Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier in relation to the current state of play in the negotiations on a fisheries agreement with the UK. The meeting involved Fisheries Ministers from EU Member States most impacted by the UK withdrawal from the EU, including Ministers from France, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands and Belgium.

Ministers welcomed Mr Barnier’s strong commitment to the link between the overall economic partnership and the conclusion of a fishing agreement. Minister McConalogue urged Mr Barnier to stay firm on this and not to agree to any short-term arrangement on fisheries which would serve to break this link.

Minister McConalogue again stressed that “Ireland’s fishing industry needs a strong and stable EU/UK Fisheries agreement. Our fishing industry is in a particularly vulnerable position as Ireland shares its main fish stocks and its waters on three sides with the UK and needs to retain access to UK waters and to shared resources.”

 

The Minister also emphasised that any outcome in the future relationship negotiations that results in a loss of quota share for the EU would be damaging to Ireland’s fishing industry. The Minister also stated that in the event of No Deal and EU vessels being denied access to UK waters Ireland could face serious difficulties arising from  displacement of  EU fishing activity into our zone.

 

Commenting afterwards on the meeting, Minister McConalogue said “I appreciated the opportunity again today to meet with Mr Barnier and outline again Ireland's serious concerns in relation to the potential impacts for Ireland’s fishing industry if a fair and balanced Fisheries Agreement with the UK is not reached. I have continued confidence that Irish and EU fishing interests will be robustly defended by Mr Barnier and his team in this late phase of negotiations.”