Poland may agree to opening Baltic Sea fishing grounds to EU fishermen

According to well-informed sources quoted by the Rzeczpospolita daily, in its negotiations with the European Union (EU), Poland could agree on opening up its Baltic Sea fishing grounds to EU fishing boats. Promising such a step, which would be taken after the EU's enlargement, would be aimed at ending the two-year deadlock in negotiations that has resulted in Poland falling behind other candidate countries in the EU accession process. The government, under pressure from the domestic fishing lobby, has so far refused to agree to such a move, since Poland's fishing industry would probably fare very badly in open competition with EU fishermen. The most likely scenario for Poland to agree to opening the Baltic Sea fisheries is for the EU simultaneously to announce fishing quotas for Polish fishermen in EU waters. Poland's EU accession negotiators say that in order to remain competitive, Poland's fishing fleet will have to be reduced by one third. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B2) P.J.