But is Macron set to make a climbdown on fishing quotas?
THE French government has told its fishing industry to prepare for a smaller catch – paving the way for a breakthrough in Brexit talks.
It comes as British and European negotiators meet this weekend as they race to get a deal agreed.
France’s Europe minister Clement Beaune said yesterday: ‘We’ll give it a few days more [into November] to give a chance for the negotiations, but we need to know fairly quickly.’
The British Government has said European nations will have to request access to UK waters on a yearly basis, with quotas agreed through annual negotiations.
But at an EU summit last week, Emmanuel Macron said: ‘Our fishermen will under no circumstance be the ones sacrificed to Brexit.’
As the meeting was taking place in Brussels, Mr Beaune posted pictures from a visit to the coastal town of Port-en-Bessin.
He said on Twitter: ‘One single objective: to defend and protect the interests of fishermen. We’re fighting... for French fishing.’
But Jerome Vicquelin, a member of local fishing lobby groups, who attended a meeting with Mr Beaune has revealed he gave a different message off-camera.
He disclosed: ‘I said, “It’s all well and good you came, but I’m worried because... just a 10-15 per cent cut in turnover... would be a disaster over the long term”.
‘They were blunt too. They said it won’t be the same as before. It’s clear, they just want to try to limit damages as much as possible.’
Asked to comment on this, Mr Beaune said he had told representatives to no longer expect to maintain ‘the status quo’.