Post-Brexit fishing: 23 additional licenses granted by London to France

Published on : 12/11/2021 – 15:39

A day after the expiration of the December 10 deadline set by the European Commission to find a solution to the dispute between France and the United Kingdom over post-Brexit fishing rights, London finally granted 23 additional licenses to fishermen French Saturday 11 December.

This number remains well below the 104 licenses demanded by France in recent days, threatening to go to litigation in the absence, by Friday, of “gesture of goodwill” on the part of London.

“Last night, after receiving additional supporting evidence from the European Commission, the UK granted 18 replacement vessel licenses [prenant la place de bateaux pêchant auparavant dans les eaux britanniques]”, said a spokesman for the British government.

This announcement has been confirmed by the European Commission, which is negotiating on behalf of France.

“More in-depth technical work continues on seven additional license applications for replacement vessels, and is expected to be concluded on Monday,” the British spokesperson added.

In addition, the Anglo-Norman island of Jersey, which grants its licenses independently, on Saturday approved 5 new licenses to French fishermen, he continued.

“An important step in a long process”

According to him, these decisions “conclude the period of intensive talks” of the last few days between London and the European Commission.

Under the agreement signed at the end of 2020 between London and Brussels, European fishermen can continue to work in British waters provided they can prove that they were fishing there before. But for more than eleven months, the French and the British have been arguing over the nature and extent of the supporting documents to be provided.

With the 23 approvals announced on Saturday, France has so far obtained 1,027 post-Brexit fishing licenses and is therefore claiming another 81.

“This decision is an important step in a long process. We will examine […] the legal basis for each license application which has not yet been approved, “European Fisheries Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius said on Twitter on Saturday.

The Commission had asked London to settle the fishing license dispute before Friday, December 10, Paris making this date an ultimatum. Thursday evening, the United Kingdom had sharply rejected the deadline.

If London “sticks to its position, we will ask the Commission, in the weekend, to announce that a dispute is engaged”, had reaffirmed Friday morning the French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune.

“[Mais] if the British say ‘we give a few dozen additional licenses’, as a gesture of goodwill […], we will take it into account […] and maybe we will continue [à dialoguer]”, he immediately added.

The French Ministry of the Sea had not reacted early Saturday afternoon to the announcement from London.

With AFP