Question to:	Proinsias De Rossa
Issue:	Fisheries
30.05.2009 Question sent by	Do you not feel at all ashamed as a sitting MEP at having allowed the destruction of our fisheries by the EU?
02.06.2009 Reply from Proinsias De Rossa	Dear , Thank you for your question. I know that the fishing community has suffered much and that there is much concern about the future in the industry. But I firmly believe that the E.U. is the only forum that can provide solutions to these problems; a balance has to be struck between the need to conserve fishing resources for future generations and the need to ensure fishing communities have a viable livelihood. I welcome the fact that under the Lisbon Treaty, our directly-elected MEPs will have full ´co-decision´ rights with the Fisheries Council in the development of fisheries policy, and that ´Regional Advisory Councils´ representing local communities can be established. These developments I feel will make policy formation in this area more open and transparent and will move toward returning the administration of fisheries to the regions. I look forward to working more closely with fishing communities on the future reform of the CFP, as launched with the Commisison´s Green Paper published in April. Best wishes, Proinsias,
Source:	http://www.candidatewatch.ie/proinsias_de_rossa-30374-22146.html