UK issues more fishing licences to quell French dispute
FRENCH fishermen were handed a further 23 licences to operate in British and Jersey waters in an attempt to ease tensions in the post-Brexit fish wars.
Negotiators missed the Frenchimposed deadline of midnight on Friday for solving the cross-Channel dispute, with decisions on another seven permits yet to be made. But Paris showed no signs of pursuing legal action in the long-running battle.
In separate statements issued yesterday, both the Government and the European Commission acknowledged that their recent intensive technical talks resulted in more small boat licences being granted.
The breakthrough came after talks on Friday evening between George Eustice, the Environment Secretary, and Virginijus Sinkevičius, the European Commissioner responsible for fisheries, over a deal that allows some French skippers to transfer their historic fishing rights to new boats.
France had threatened to trigger legal action against Britain if there was not a “gesture of goodwill” in the wrangling over fishing rights in time for the midnight deadline set by Paris.
“The UK has issued 18 licences for EU replacement vessels in UK territorial waters and five licences for EU vessels to access Jersey waters,” a European Commission spokeswoman said yesterday. “Further technical discussions will continue with the aim to have seven additional replacement vessels’ licences by the end of Monday.”
The Government had already granted licences to almost 1,800 European fishing vessels, including 821 French boats, to operate in British waters under the Brexit trade deal.
Before yesterday’s announcement, Emmanuel Macron, France’s president, was asking for a total of 104 permits for its fishermen to operate in British waters, but in a climbdown he signalled he was willing to accept “a few dozen more” to allow the talks to continue.
Denying a concession to placate the French, a government spokesman said it had adopted an “evidence-based approach” throughout the talks and where fishing data had not been provided “licences have not been issued”.