EU negotiators make concession on fishing
Sides ‘near compromise’ as EU reported to have caved in on ‘zonal attachment’ of catch opportunities
European Union negotiators have conceded a British demand on fishing rights after Brexit, it was reported yesterday. Brussels was said to have accepted a proposal that fishing rights be calculated on the basis of zonal attachment, meaning calculating a share of the catch based on which waters the fish are in, though that was denied by some EU sources. UK fishermen would have a larger share of the catch than under the Common Fisheries Policy.
EUROPEAN UNION negotiators have conceded a British demand on fishing rights after Brexit, it was reported yesterday. Brussels was said to have accepted a proposal that fishing opportunities be calculated on the basis of zonal attachment, although that was denied by some EU sources.
British fishermen will have a larger share of the catch under zonal attachment than under the catch patterns that form the basis of the EU’S Common Fisheries Policy. Zonal attachment calculates a share of the catch based on which waters the fish are in.
It would allow Britain to claim victory in its goals of taking back control of British waters. Fishing is one of the main obstacles to getting the Brexit trade deal done by mid-november so it can be ratified before the end of the year.
EU and UK negotiators are in intensified talks in Brussels, which are expected to close tomorrow. That could be followed by more secret, daily talks, or the negotiators could defer to political leaders to try to bridge the gaps.
Bloomberg reported that the two sides planned to defer decisions on the exact allocation of catch to EU boats.
EU diplomatic sources warned that the compromise would not be acceptable. Other EU sources suggested the report was “far off the mark” and said fishing was still an open issue.
“They can’t sell a deal to their voters that doesn’t include tangible prospects for their fishermen,” one diplomat said. “Unless the fishermen can be told what they will be allowed to catch, there won’t be a deal.”
Brussels will need to know how much quota the zonal attachment translates to, because it is mulling redistributing its bloc-wide share of fishing opportunities to mitigate the impact on fishermen dependent on UK waters.
The EU has said that without a deal on fishing, there will be no deal and is understood to be using access to its energy market as leverage for concessions.
A spokesman for the Government said: “We are asking for a simple, separate fisheries framework agreement which reflects our rights under international law and which provides for annual negotiations over access and sharing opportunities, based on the scientific principle of zonal attachment.”
Michel Barnier, EU negotiator, has previously signalled zonal attachment could be part of the deal but that provisions needed to be made to protect ancient fishing rights and mitigate the economic impact on EU communities.