The reform of the Common Fisheries Policy must support small scale fisheries. This was the clear message from ALDE MEPs during a debate in the European Parliament in Brussels today. 

Carl Haglund (Svenska folkpartiet, Finland ), shadow rapporteur for the report on the reform of the CFP insisted: 

"The reform of the Common Fisheries Policy is going in the right direction. The Fisheries´ Policy has long been one of the EU´s most discredited policies, infamous for micro-management, a top-down approach and, above all, a system that encourages discarding enormous amounts of perfectly usable fish every year. ALDE welcomes an ecosystem based approach. ALDE supports regionalization - not renationalization - of the CFP, and the establishment of a separate EU policy for small-scale fisheries."

Pat the Cope Gallagher, (Fianna Fail, Ireland) and Coordinator for the Fisheries Committee for ALDE is the driving force behind the inclusion of remote coastal areas in the report adopted by the European Parliament today, in an amendment which was overwhelmingly carried. " I would hope that the key provisions of this report will be incorporated into substantive reforms in the future, in particular, a special recognition for small coastal islands and inshore fisheries. I am concerned about fishermen operating inshore and from small coastal islands; we must ensure a viable and sustainable livelihood for our fishermen". 

" A radical re-think of the CFP is needed, with the involvement of all stakeholders ".

With the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty following the referendum in Ireland last year, the European Parliament now has significant new powers over fisheries. The European Commission has begun the consultation phase and the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy is expected to come into force at the start of 2013.