Post-Brexit fishing licenses: “inadmissible” decisions for France

Published on : 09/29/2021 – 14:54

Tension is mounting between France and the United Kingdom over fishing licenses. French government spokesman Gabriel Attal denounced Wednesday, September 29 “totally unacceptable and inadmissible decisions” after the refusal of the British authorities and Jersey to issue French boats with all the requested authorizations.

These “are decisions that contravene the agreement that was signed within the framework of Brexit”, lamented Gabriel Attal on leaving the Council of Ministers, ensuring that he understood “the concern” and “the anger” of French fishermen . He added that France would explore possible retaliatory measures.

The Anglo-Norman island of Jersey will grant 64 definitive and 31 provisional licenses to French boats to fish in its waters and has, on the other hand, refused 75 requests, the local government announced in a statement on Wednesday. London, for its part, has only agreed to grant French boats 12 access licenses to its waters out of the additional 47 claimed by Paris as part of the post-Brexit agreement.

After Brexit, a transitional device had been implemented, the time to put in place the new device provided for by the trade agreement concluded in extremis at the end of last year between London and Brussels. This provides that European fishermen will be able to continue to visit certain British waters on condition that they obtain a license, granted if they can prove that they were fishing there before.

According to the Jersey government, 64 boats that have provided all of the required supporting documents will be issued a definitive license, in addition to the 47 licenses already issued since the start of the year. Thirty-one boats, which will have to provide additional elements, will be issued a provisional license giving them until the end of January 2022 to bring the requested parts.

75 boats will have to “cease all activity”

The 75 vessels failed because they “did not engage in any fishing activity in Jersey waters during the period in question or were unable to justify such activity. [devront] cease all fishing activity in Jersey waters within thirty days “, according to the Jersey government.” Until then, the Jersey authorities will nevertheless continue to receive and examine any new material or data presented, “he said. local government.

“Issuing these licenses in the next few days will allow us to ensure that the fishing effort in our waters remains comparable to the situation that prevailed before Brexit: any vessel whose economic activity depended on fishing in Jersey waters , having exercised a previous regular activity there and who was able to justify it will be issued a license “, underlined the Minister of the Environment of Jersey, John Young.

Jersey Minister of External Affairs Ian Gorst put forward “the pragmatic, reasonable and evidence-based approach, extending the transition period several times so far”, while the post-Brexit agreement “did not impose it”.

At the beginning of May, dozens of Norman and Breton fishing boats had gathered in front of the port of Saint-Hélier in Jersey to defend their right to continue fishing in these waters, causing London to send two patrol boats for a few hours.

With AFP and Reuters