Minister Dooley meets Minister Zeichner
- Published on: 9 July 2025
- Last updated on: 9 July 2025
In London today, Minister of State for Fisheries and Marine, Timmy Dooley, met with Daniel Zeichner MP Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The Ministers spoke on issues of mutual interest including Marine Spatial Planning and Ireland’s ambition to develop a national Designated Marine Area Plan for Off-Shore Renewable Energy and progress on the designation of Marine Protected Areas, where Ireland intends to designate 30% of our seas as Marine Protected Areas by 2030.
The Ministers also spoke on fisheries matters of common interest; the growing competition for the use of marine space and the increased challenges facing the seafood and fisheries sectors such as biodiversity loss and the need to manage our waters in a more sustainable way. Minister Dooley also spoke of Ireland’s desire to find a mutually agreeable way forward on the issue of Rockall on which there has been extensive engagement with the Scottish and UK authorities.
Minister Dooley recognised the considerable progress made by all parties over the last number of years in terms of sustainable fishing and rebuilding stocks and the need to continue this co-operation, particularly in the case of key stocks in the Celtic Sea which still remain in a vulnerable state. Ministers Dooley and Zeichner recognised the ongoing work of the EU and the UK on this and other important issues including through the framework of the Specialised Committee on Fisheries. Minister Dooley further outlined that Ireland is looking forward to assuming the role of Presidency of the Council of the EU next year, and we expect to progress a number of key files during our tenure, potentially the Commission’s evaluation of the CFP Regulation outcome and the Vision 2040 for Fisheries and Aquaculture.
Following the meeting, Minister Dooley said:
“I very much welcome the opportunity to have met Minister Zeichner today and, following in the spirit of our leaders, strengthening the relationship between our two countries and indeed, our two departments.”
