The Minister for the Marine, Mr Dermot Ahern, is due to meet his Italian counterpart in Rome today on the issue of the Irish Box.
The discussions with the Italian Fisheries Minister, Mr Paolo Scarpa Bonazza Buora, are being held in advance of the next EU fisheries council. The Italian government holds the EU presidency, and will have to try to achieve a political deal on the issue. A compromise box proposed by the European Commission was rejected by Ireland as providing insufficient protection for stocks in the 50-mile exclusion zone.
Mr Ahern said last night it was essential that any new regime would provide real protection for fish stocks in western waters generally, and particularly in the waters around Ireland.