Barnier threatens to sink trade deal in fishing row
MICHEL Barnier is threatening to wreck any chance of a Brexit trade deal unless Boris Johnson surrenders to the EU demand for unlimited access to Britain’s fishing waters.
In a warning ahead of more UK- EU talks next week, the bloc’s chief negotiator admitted to being “worried and disappointed” at the Prime Minister’s refusal to budge on his key red lines.
He accused Mr Johnson of using the livelihoods of European fishing crew as a “bargaining chip” in the wrangle.
Laying claim to UK marine stocks forever, the Brussels diplomat added: “Obviously the UK will recover the full sovereignty of their waters. But it is another story about the fish inside those waters.”
Mr Barnier’s latest blast at UK negotiators team came in a combative speech to the Institute of International and European Affairs in Dublin.
It followed a “difficult” meeting with Mr Johnson’s European envoy Lord Frost in London this week.
With 24,000 estimated to work in the UK’s £ 1.4billion finishing industry, Downing Street insisted the UK’s waters are not up for grabs.
Yesterday’s bitter exchange raised fears of more deadlock when the two sides meet for negotiations s in London next week. Mr Barnier accused the UK of not showing any willingness to compromise on fishing.
He said: “The UK Government’s position would lock out Ireland’s fishermen from waters they fished in long before Ireland or the UK joined the European Economic Community in 1973. And of course, the fishermen and women of many other EU countries. Tha That is just not a acceptable.” Thre Threatening to scupper ta talks, he said: “Without a long- term, fair and sustainable solution on fisheries, there will be no new economic partnership with the UK.”
Mr Barnier also said British refusal to accept EU regulations could “distort competition.” He added:
“These are not technocratic details, they are essentials. At stake are tens of thousands of European jobs.”
The PM’s spokesman said: “An agreement is still possible and is our goal, but it is not going to be easy.”
A UK Government source said: “Barnier’s speech is a deliberate and misleading caricature of our proposals aimed at deflecting scrutiny from the EU’s own positions which are wholly unrealistic and unprecedented.”