Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher has taken issue with Sinn Féin’s stance over the allocation to fisheries and aquaculture in the 2027 EU budget.
As Afloat has reported, Sinn Féin claimed that only three Irish MEPs, all from the Left, supported an amendment in this month’s vote on the budget to increase fisheries funding.
In September, the European Commission proposed a targeted amendment of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) Regulation to simplify and facilitate access to funding for fishers and aquaculture producers.
The proposed changes would provide greater legal certainty and facilitate testing of new technologies, accelerate the energy transition of the EU fleet, and support generational renewal through increased aid intensity for young fishers and the removal of barriers to support the transfer of business ownership.
Billy Kelleher MEP, Fianna Fáil delegation leader, said that Sinn Féin has “a simplistic and disingenuous view of how to fund the EU”.
The party “deletes entire budget lines they don't agree with and uses this 'additional money' to fund budget lines they agree with. That's not how the Fianna Fáil delegation operates”, Kelleher said.
“Fianna Fáil, through our minister, Timmy Dooley, is working with the Irish fishing sector to get the best possible deal for our fishermen and our coastal communities,” he said.
“Sinn Féin can make up their own budgets all they like, using their usual Three Card Trick, but it won't protect the livelihoods of Irish fishermen in any way,” he claimed.
One of the three, Sinn Féin MEP for Ireland South Kathleen Funchion, said she was disappointed that the amendment did not succeed and criticised the stance taken by other Irish MEPs.
“Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and Independent Ireland all voted against the amendment which would have increased the fisheries budget line by €300 million, restoring cuts made since 2024,” she claimed.
However, Fine Gael MEP for Ireland South Seán Kelly said Sinn Féin's stance had the potential to put a final deal at risk.
“An agreement was reached among a strong majority of political groups in Parliament in advance of the vote on the 2027 EU Budget,” he said.
“To preserve and support this agreement, MEPs from the political groups that had worked hard to negotiate and deliver it opposed all amendments tabled by MEPs from minority political groups who had not signed up to the deal reached,” Kelly explained.
“The agreement includes €804 million in funding for the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, an increase of almost €10 million compared with the 2026 allocation. Supporting amendments last week would have put the deal at risk,” he said.
The Parliament's position is not yet the final EU budget. Negotiations with the Council are scheduled to continue in November, with the conciliation period running until 16 November.
