Mr President, my first point relates to this whole question of consultation and information. I have been rapporteur on so many of these Third World fisheries agreements for many years, and we in the Committee on Development and Cooperation have always expressed our discontent at the fact that we are only consulted after the event: we have fait accompli consultation, we do not have real consultation. That is a protest that seems to have gone unheeded over many years.

The amendments also call for lots of information to be given to us regularly, and I agree with all these amendments.

These are, of course, in one sense trading agreements, but in another sense - and that is what this House must take very seriously - they have a development component, and that I would suggest to you should overrule all other considerations, because we are surely trustees for these countries with whom we have a special relationship.

I am concerned that the funding has not gone up: costs go up, but the finance has not gone up! The problems have been mentioned; the previous speaker went through some of the points made in the opinion of the Development Committee with which I totally concur. I really feel that the Commission should answer these points, especially the one about prior consultation, because we are just presented with an agreement and, frankly, I do not feel the development component in this particular case has been given proper priority.