Blair and Santer: talks on fish and beef

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"Fresh Start" on Fish at EU Summit

The problem of quota-hopping, a system which allows foreign trawlers to buy Britain's EU quota of fishing-catch licences, could be resolved before the Amsterdam summit in late June.

The former Prime Minister, John Major, had warned he would scupper a new treaty deal in Amsterdam unless EU rules were changed to outlaw quota-hopping.

After election campaign hints that Labour might do the same, Mr Blair today concentrated on boosting goodwill with the EU and said, "We want to be constructive. We will not hold up the intergovernmental conference on this, but we need this to be solved at or around Amsterdam."

Mr Santer made it clear he is not prepared to completely throw away what Brussels sees as a fundamental single market principle, the right of trawlers from any member state to register in the UK and buy licences to fish British quotas.

The new deal involves setting up tighter rules governing the companies seeking British registration. Increased British involvement is likely to be a prerequisite, together with commitments that at least a proportion of any catch of UK fish must be landed at UK ports.

The Prime Minister also took the opportunity to insist on a swift response to end the worldwide ban on British beef exports.

Mr Santer insisted that Brussels was determined to ensure comprehensive monitoring and traceability of potentially infected animals.