Maltese Commissioner Joe Borg, who is responsible for EU fishing and maritime policy, told the European Parliament today (20 May 2008) that he was working towards taking responsibility for all coastguard services as part of the EU’s expanding maritime policy. As he put it, "the EU joins the North Sea to the Black Sea".
Ashley Mote MEP, independent, South East England, said after Mr Borg’s statement: "This is an outrage. Our coastguard service and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution have provided a service of the highest order and often with courage and commitment far beyond the call of duty. One of my friends lost his life as a volunteer lifeboat man many years ago in some of the roughest seas in the Western Approaches. So I feel particularly strongly about this further interference of the EU in an essentially British matter.
"Had I realised Mr Borg intended to make this statement about coastguard services I would have changed my own one-minute speech in the so-called ‘debate’, which was dominated by speakers from the countries of central Europe, some of which have little or no coastline at all."
Ashley Mote had earlier said to the House:
"My constituency of south-east England includes over half the coastline of the English Channel – a name that stretch of water has held for centuries. Yet the latest maps of the proposed Arc Manche region change the name of the English Channel to the Greater North Sea, and the Bristol Channel to the Celtic Sea.
And on whose authority have nautical miles become kilometres on these maps?
You may think these are little things. But not where I come from. The Commission completely fails to understand the impact of such gratuitous and absurd nonsense on our island nation.
They are hurrying the day the UK walks away from the EU and takes its 1.5 million pounds an hour club subscription with it.
(microphone cut off)
It is getting increasingly difficult to disagree with my constituent who lives on the coast and who described the EU as a lunatic asylum run by the inmates. No wonder over 80% of Brits reject the Lisbon Treaty and our pathetic prime minister has reneged on his referendum commitment."
