Basis of agreement reached

The government has told fishermen`s representatives that it has the basis of an agreement had been reached with the European Union over a 25-mile fishing conservation zone around Malta, guaranteeing the livelihood of local fishermen, sources said.

The government explained the situation to fishermen`s representatives at a meeting of the Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee this week.

The agreement specifies that fishing within the conservation zone should be capped at the current level, meaning that no other fishing vessels would be permitted to operate in the area.

The government maintains that the only Maltese boats affected by the agreement would be boats which are longer than 12 metres. These would no longer be allowed to operate in the conservation zone unless they are fishing for lampuki and when engaged in a particular fishing method, lampara, where fishermen use a large lamp to attract fish.

The authorities estimate that out of 1,500 boats, only around 50 are longer than 12 metres. Most of these are believed to already do some of their fishing in international waters - outside the 25-mile conservation zone.

The government is drawing up a special financial package to help the owners of these larger boats. This will assist them either to replace their boat with a smaller vessel or to upgrade their present boat to be able to fish beyond the conservation zone.

The financial aid would be provided before Malta`s EU membership and the package would be communicated soon to the owners of these boats.

The government is also planning to start holding information meetings directly with fishermen to explain what has been negotiated.

The sources said the draft now had to be approved by the 15 member states individually before negotiations on this chapter could be closed.

Sources said the government was hoping to conclude negotiations on this chapter during the next negotiating meeting scheduled for early next month.

Sources said the agreement would make it virtually impossible for Sicilian boats to fish in the conservation zone as most were longer than 12 metres and the Italian boats measuring less than 12 metres were not allowed to fish outside Italian territorial waters.

The sources said the government maintained that the basis of agreement not only guaranteed that no harm would be done to fish stocks within Maltese territorial waters, but also fully safeguarded the livelihood of the local fishermen.

The agreement also says the fishermen`s producers` associations would start benefiting from EU aid following membership.

The agreement lists the fish that are of economic significance to Maltese fishermen to be included in the EU list for which aid is provided.

The agreement provides that upon accession, a special programme for Malta, financed by the EU, would help in the modernisation of the Maltese fishermen`s boats, improve port facilities and upgrade the fish market.