September 2006
Í Bretlandi eru sívaxandi kröfur um að þeir yfirgefi bandalagið m.a. vegna óánægju með fiskveiðimálin og hvernig breskur fiskiðnaður hefur verið að molna niður undir hinni sameiginlegu fiskveiðistjórn.
Beinn kostnaður Breta nemur 3,3 milljónum punda Á DAG, auk annars dulins kostnaðar. Margir halda þeir fram að með því að ganga úr bandalaginu myndu þeir hafa miklu meira fé til að sinna sínu eigin velferðarkerfi.
Þeir sem áhuga hafa á Evrópusambandinu og vilja vita meira en það sem venjulega heyrist í fréttum ættu að kíkja á: http://www.ashleymote.co.uk
Ashley Mote tekur fyrir fjármálaóstjórn og spillingu innan bandalagsins
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Nýlega birtist frétt í Breskum fjölmiðlum þar sem sjómannasamtök í Bretlandi fagna ákvörðun fiskverkenda um að fara fram á að fiskveiðistjórn færist frá EU heim til Bretlands með því að Bretar segi sig úr bandalaginu. Athyglisvert í ljósi þess að hér á Íslandi sækjast ýmsir stjórnmálamenn eftir aðild og telja að við munum geta fengið undanþágu frá sátmalla sambandsins og fengið að stjórna fiskveiðum okkar sjálfir. - Blessuð sé hún barnatrúin.
31 August, 2006 - THE Fishermen’s Association Ltd (FAL) and Save Britain’s Fish (SBF) today moved swiftly to "warmly welcome" the decision by the Scottish Seafood Processors' Federation to call for the UK to restore national control of its fishing resources by quitting the Common Fisheries Policy.
In a statement, FAL said the political end game for the EU is an integrated EU fleet, operating in EU waters under the central control of the EU Commission being told where, when and with what to fish. The association went on:"For over 10 years FAL and SBF have been consistently and cogently promoting the policy of withdrawal from the CFP and restoration of national control of UK fish resources. "That policy, the real CFP of equal access to the common resource, has caused a Sea Clearances for Scotland and other parts of the UK. This was not unexpected. The Commission had warned the industry on 11 June 1992 that the way forward, as envisaged by the Commission for the re- structure of the industry, would involve thousands of fishermen losing their jobs. "
FAL said the effects of Brussels control had been severe. " 196 vessels over 10 metres in length left the Scottish fleet between 2001 and 2004. " 165 were "unnecessarily" scrapped as a result of the 2001- 02 and 2003 decommissioning schemes " Almost 1100 boats have left the fleet in the 20 years since the UK joined the then Common Market.
"As long as the UK fishing industry is subject to the diktat of Brussels its fishing industry, ancillary businesses and fishing communities will continue to suffer the consequences of a ruinous policy that has caused such misery for so many families and businesses," the association went on.
"The Cod Crusaders by their unstinting efforts raised the national ontrol campaign to a new level highlighting the cost not only to the catching sector but also the onshore businesses and communities dependant on a beleaguered industry. The call by the seafood rocessors to unite behind the common objective for repatriation of our sovereign waters and to restore national control and management of our fisheries resources is echoed by 250,000 people who signed the Cod Crusaders Petition. Let all within the industry focus on and fight for this attainable objective." FAL contends that as a sovereign nation the UK Government can pass an act of parliament to overturn existing European Union Law and repatriate its own waters under international law.Withdrawal requires a majority vote in the Westminster Parliament, to create new legislation to amend the 1972 European Communities Act. It does not, they add, require the unanimous agreement of the other EU Member States
FAL has some 380 members in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Fish Producers Organisation affiliated to FAL on 15 March 2003, the Scottish Ship Chandlers' Association on 12 December 2003 and the South Devon & Channel Shellfishermen on 16 January 2004