Kjell Dragnes

"Ho Emma" has found a worthy opponent in her name-sister Emma Bonino, Commissioner for fishery in EU. Italian Emma 2 weeks ago started verbal storms which swept over Canada which at the same time started chaos in EU. There are still waves in the fisingpolicy.

Emma Bonino with the nickname "The cyclone" in Italy really let go when she described Canadas behaviour towards the Spanish trawlers in New Foundland. Words like "piratebusiness" isn't eactly the words to make goodwill before negociations. But they went straight in in Spain. It has to be said in Emma Bonino's defence that her counterpart, Canadas minister for fishery, Brian Tobin, also called the foreigners fishing "piracy".

The last couple of days the frontfigures have come with less colourful allegations while the gray bureaucracy, both in Brussels and Ottawa, have tried to solve the conflict. After a lot of work they have reached agreement on rules with one goal: Stop with halibut what happened to New Foundland cod, almost total extermination.

But as it showed, both during the UN-conference in New York on fishing on open sea, and in Brussels during EU-Canada negociations, rules on fishingregulations are one of the most difficult topics to agree on on international level. The reason is partly psycological: they are used to fish, without sowing. The sea has looked impossible to empty. The reason is partly economical: The income from the sea is dominating in rural areas in many countries, therefore regulations and cuts hit them hard.

EU, and earlier EEC, didn't consider fishery very important. The post as Commissioner for fishery has gone to people and countries which didn't have a special interest in fishery. One exception was Thorvald Stoltenberg from the fishing-giant Norway. Of wellknown reasons it didn't happen.

Emma Bonino admits that she doesn't know anything about fish. Her qualifications for the job is in the past being a political activist against nuclear power, supporting abortions and being against hunger in the third world. Spain with the worlds third biggest fishingfleet joins EU's common fishingpolicy from 1996, ironically as a result of the membershipnegociations with Norway. EU can start upgrading the importance of the fishingpolicy and make Spain more moderate. "Ho Emma" can well use her glowing engagement in her new post. Fishing is important, both in the old world, the new world and the third world.