"Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy" - Margot Wallström

We have to reform the Common Fisheries Policy if fisheries is to remain a viable industry in Europe and we are to protect our natural resources and the marine environment.

Any reduction in fishing effort will automatically also mean reduced pressure on the environment and less risk to bio-diversity.

Without a major overhaul of this policy now, our fish stocks will collapse sooner or later and our fisheries will find themselves in the same situation as the cod-fisheries in Eastern Canada ten years ago.

This reform should also improve the consistency of our policies by ending subsidies for building new and more efficient vessels. What we really need is to reduce our fleet in order to address the structural problem underlying the current fisheries crisis.

We have a clear call for the reform from the European Council in Göteborg last June - and I quote - to "address the overall fishing pressure by adapting the EU fishing effort to the level of available resources."

· There can be no fishing without fish.

· There are too many boats trying to catch too few fish.

· We are doing the fishermen a disservice by shying away from real reform.

Thank you for your attention.