The Minister for the Marine, Mr Ahern, has described as "constructive and worthwhile" a meeting he held this week with the EU Fisheries Commissioner on the "Irish Box" issue.
Mr Ahern, who met Dr Franz Fischler in Strasbourg, said he had made it clear to him that Ireland could not and would not accept the proposal to open up the Irish Box, the State's fisheries exclusion zone, to Spanish vessels.
"I urged the commissioner to actively engage and work closely with the Greek presidency in order to bring forward an alternative set of proposals," the Minister said.
Mr Ahern said he had signalled his concerns about the threat to fish stocks in the Irish Box which, he added, must be addressed in a serious way and motivate policy.
"Leaving aside the sensitive political and diplomatic dimensions to this issue, we cannot forget two simple facts.
"Firstly, the Irish Box is a biologically sensitive area that is home to a varied and abundant marine resource;
"and, secondly, that Irish fishermen are uniquely dependant on this area for their livelihoods," he said.
