The SNP manifesto will call for Scotland to chair the European Fisheries Council in a “historic first”.
The Press and Journal can reveal Nicola Sturgeon’s party will demand the top seat at the decision-making body when the UK next holds the EU presidency in 2017.
The party, which will launch its manifesto in Edinburgh tomorrow, claims that “too often” Scotland is “locked out” of major Brussels decision making.
Ms Sturgeon’s Nationalists are currently riding high in the latest polls in the race for Holyrood.
An SNP spokesman said: “Too often Scotland and our fishermen are locked out of the key talks that shape and decide the industry’s future.
“The UK’s scheduled presidency of the EU in the latter half of next year is an ideal opportunity to address that anomaly, and the SNP are calling for Scotland to chair that fisheries council, which would be a historic first.”
The Press and Journal understands that the party manifesto will also commit to pressing for Scotland to take the lead in fisheries negotiations where Scotland has the predominant interest, and further decentralisation of the Common Fisheries Policy.
Other pledges are understood to include a commitment to try to ensure the Scottish fishing quota is retained in the hands of active Scottish fishermen, and that quota speculation is ended.
The spokesman added: “We will be able to advance some of the key demands of Scotland’s fishing industry, bringing some of the most important issues for our fleet to the top table and taking forward the EU agenda on our own terms.
“This manifesto will address many of those key issues – and a re-elected SNP government will redouble our efforts to get the best possible deal for our fishermen.”
The Scottish Government has previously been criticised for its imposition of Marine Protected Areas, which some fisherman believe pose a risk to their livelihoods.
In January, campaigners let off a smoke bomb outside Holyrood in protest at the policy.
Other pledges which will be contained in the SNP’s manifesto include the introduction of a baby box for the parents of newborns and a commitment to hire an extra 500 health visitors in the first years of the next parliament.
Ms Sturgeon said: “I am determined that every child born in Scotland gets the very best start in life and have made clear my ambition that all children should have the same chance to fulfil their potential.
“And that process should start before a baby is even born. At the heart of the baby box is a message about fairness and opportunity that is also at the heart of our manifesto.”
