§ Sir Richard BodyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the impact of the integration of Agenda 2000 countries into the European Union on the United Kingdom fishing fleet. [12526]
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§ Mr. MorleyIt will not be possible to carry out a detailed assessment of the impact on the UK fishing fleet of integrating new countries into the EU until we know which countries are to be admitted and the accession terms proposed. However, those applicant countries which have marine fishing interests generally fish in areas, such as the Baltic sea, where the UK fleet is not active. Previous new entrants have, as part of their accession terms, been allocated quotas reflecting the areas and stocks for which they have historic track records. The Government will wish to ensure that similar conditions apply to further new entrants.