Fishing: meeting under high tension between Emmanuel Macron and Boris Johnson on Sunday – LCI

On the sidelines of the G20, Emmanuel Macron and Boris Johnson will meet this Sunday in Rome. This tête-à-tête will take place in the morning without advising or interpreting, LCI learned from the Élysée. No official speech is, for the time being, planned.

During this meeting, the two leaders will try to find a compromise on the allocation of fishing licenses. The failure of the United Kingdom to respect the agreement negotiated during Brexit has “unquestionable impact” on the daily life of many people, starting with the fishermen themselves, notes the executive. “It’s not just a Franco-British agreement, but rather a European one”, also recalls the entourage of the president who hopes for a favorable outcome, without really believing in it. “It’s an exchange to see if it is possible to move forward constructively in this matter”, indicates the Élysée to LCI.

London on Friday threatened to tighten controls on European boats fishing in British waters. A measure intended to be a response to the retaliatory measures previously announced by France (prohibition for British fishing vessels to unload their cargo in French ports and strengthening of customs controls on trucks). Across the Channel, we are also considering launching a “dispute settlement procedure provided for in the post-Brexit trade agreement”.

For his part, the French president estimated, in an interview with the Financial Times, that the “credibility” of the United Kingdom was at stake in this case. In addition, the Ambassador of France to the United Kingdom, Catherine Colonna, was summoned on Friday. An approach that is normally extremely rare between allied countries.