Britain condemns France’s seizure of a fishing boat. The action signalled France’s determination not to back down in the row after listing potential sanctions against Britain if there is no progress in talks
Britain on Thursday condemned France’s seizure of a British fishing boat in French waters and warned Paris against further retaliation in a rapidly deteriorating row over post-Brexit fishing rights.
They include extra customs checks on British goods from Nov. 2 and what was widely seen in London as a threat to cut electricity exports to Britain if talks fail.British fishing grounds are among the richest in the North East Atlantic zone, where most of the European Union’s catch is hauled in. Environment minister George Eustice challenged France’s statement that the boat had no license, and told parliament the steps threatened by France appeared to be incompatible with a post-Brexit free-trade agreement and wider international law.France says Britain has refused to grant its fishermen the full number of licenses to operate in British waters that France says is warranted, though Britain says it is issuing licenses to vessels that meet its criteria.
Additional customs checks on goods traveling between Britain and the rest of Europe could disrupt trade flows before Christmas. “We are a pawn of bigger forces here. This is to do with licenses and the beef that the French have with the licenses of French vessels,” Andrew Brown, a director of Macduff Shellfish, told Reuters.
Senior British, French and EU officials have signaled they do not want the dispute to escalate, but Macron and Johnson are under pressure from vocal fishing lobbies and will want to show they are defending the interests of voters.The industry makes only a small contribution to the French and British economies, but fishing is a lifeline for some coastal communities.
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