I'm outraged. We have an acute situation for herring and Baltic herring in the Baltic Sea, says Anna-Caren Sätherberg, rural policy spokesperson for the Social Democrats.
The Social Democrats are wondering what mandate Kullgren had to agree to the fishing agreement with other EU countries.
In the Riksdag's EU Committee, where the government anchors its line ahead of EU negotiations, it was decided that Kullgren would drive a restrictive line – the quotas should not increase but decrease compared to those that apply now.
When that didn't happen, he should have voted no, according to the Social Democrats.
Busch: Catastrophic Decision
"This action appears to be in direct conflict with the Swedish stance taken ahead of the negotiations", it says in the notification to the Riksdag's Constitutional Committee.
He should have voted no. The government has done so in other matters, even when it has been the chair. This is actually unbelievable and a death blow to the Baltic herring and small-scale fishing, says Sätherberg.
In a Riksdag debate, Energy and Enterprise Minister Ebba Busch (Christian Democrats) explains how the government views the EU decision.
This has been a tough week. All of us in Sweden who know how tough it is for fish stocks know what a catastrophic decision this is from the EU level.
Recreational Fishermen: Fiasco
The government is not satisfied, but according to Busch, the quotas would have been higher if the government had not participated in the talks. She says the government has been in contact with many desperate fishermen in recent days.
In a debate article in Svenska Dagbladet, the Recreational Fishermen write that the decision is a fiasco for the Baltic Sea and that Sweden must change its strategy. The government is now reviewing how to act.
We look forward to examining further possible measures based on the decision, says Ebba Busch.
