New deal or same old rules?

New Row over EU Fish Deal

The EU President, Jacques Santer, has written to the Spanish Foreign Minister, Abel Mutates, confirming that no new rules were agreed to tighten up on quota-hopping.

Mr Santer reassured him that Mr Blair had merely asked whether it was possible under European law to ensure an economic link between fishing vessels and the countries whose flags they sailed under.

Mr Mutates had complained to the EU President about a lack of consultation after Mr Blair had returned to Britain and trumpeted his 'breakthrough' on the future of the fishing industry.

Mr Blair postponed making an announcement about the agreement until he had returned so as not to cause friction with the Spanish. He told the Commons that he had made "real progress" on the question of quota-hopping.

But Mr Santer's letter to Mr Mutates tells a different story. It reads: "In its recent approach to the Commission ... the UK was not proposing the introduction of changes or derogations to the Treaty, but rather asking whether it was permissible under existing EC law to adopt certain national measures to ensure the existence of a real economic link between fishing vessels and the Flag State."

The former Fisheries Minister, Tony Baldry, has poured scorn on Mr Blair's efforts, as he did at the time the deal was announced: "It confirms what I and many others said at the time, that this was a comprehensive sell-out to the British fishing industry. The Prime Minister did not get a single extra concession for the fishing industry at Amsterdam."

A spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) denied the Government had hailed any fundamental change, but merely paved the way for a deal. "It provides a framework for a deal. That is what we said," the spokesman commented.

"It was the Commission identifying ways in which the Government can insist that there are real economic links between our vessels and the fishing communities in the future." he added.

At the time, Mr Blair left the details to his Agriculture Minister, Jack Cunningham. He told MPs that "new rules" would mean Spanish boats having to prove an economic link with the UK by complying with at least one of three conditions:

• That they land at least half their catch in Britain
• That the majority of their crew live in the UK
• That they begin the majority of their fishing trips from British ports

Representatives of the fishing industry in the south-west of England said Mr Blair's 'agreement' was "mere bluff" because Spanish fishermen can relatively easily satisfy the third point without much inconvenience.