Want to stop Icelandic special solutions

Aodh O’Donnell, executive director of the Irish Fishermen’s Association (IFPO), expresses great concern about the idea of special conditions for Icelandic fishing if the country joins the European Union. Limiting the access of Irish ships to Icelandic jurisdiction is out of the question.

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“The EU cannot justify special fishing rules for a new member state while Irish fisheries continue to bear the brunt of quota cuts, fleet reductions and flawed EU regulation.”

Recent news that the EU may offer Iceland exemptions (from the Union’s Common Fisheries Policy) is worrying for Irish fisheries. These ideas seem to be part of a larger issue related to the state of international politics and relations between the EU and Iceland. We fear once again that Ireland will have to bear the costs of a formal agreement between the coastal states or Iceland’s membership of the union.”

There seems to be unity within the fishing industry in Ireland about Iceland’s possible membership. Earlier this week, Dominic Rihan, director of the Association of Irish Fishing Companies (KFO), said in an interview with Morgunblaðið that possible exemptions and special solutions for the Icelandic fishing industry come at the expense of Irish fishermen. “The Irish fishing industry is concerned about the impact of Icelandic vessels gaining access to EU waters and the increased fishing load with the associated competition with our vessels.”

In a weak position

In O’Donnell’s opinion, it is clear that possible special solutions or exemptions involve considerable changes in the EU’s common fisheries policy. “These changes could provide Icelanders with exciting benefits in relation to the fishing of sub-stocks of pelagic species such as mackerel and whiting. At the same time, our members will continue to bear most of the losses caused by Brexit. They also continue to suffer because a minority of countries prevented the activation of the Hague benefits in 2025.”

Aodh O’Donnell

The Hague benefits are a special safety net within the Common Fisheries Policy established in 1976 and include powers to increase the fishing quotas of Irish vessels during economic shocks. By preventing the activation of these rights, other EU countries made it impossible for the Irish government to grant fishing permits to compensate for the reductions caused by the UK’s withdrawal from the Union. “IFPO’s position on Iceland’s possible EU membership is clear. Every step of the accession process must take into account the full protection of the interests of Irish marine communities and the fishing industry as a whole.”

Take action

O’Donnell says IFPO policy remains unchanged. It rejects open access to Irish jurisdiction unless member states offer reciprocal access with associated benefits for the Irish fishing industry.

“The Irish fleet and coastal communities already face too much uncertainty. Any arrangement is likely to focus on access to sub-sectors found in our waters. (…) Ireland must take action at Council of Ministers level to prevent another loss to our pelagic fleet as a result of changes to fisheries policy.”