France is preparing to implement a go-slow strategy for customs checks on shipments to and from Britain ahead of Christmas in an escalation of the post-Brexit war over fishing rights, officials fear.
Paris will on Tuesday rubber-stamp a package of planned retaliatory measures that could be triggered if French fishermen are not granted greater access to Britain’s coastal waters.
The Telegraph understands the prospect of French customs officials deliberately disputing cross-Channel trade is a chief concern amongst British officials.
French fishing leaders are also threatening to blockade shipments in and out of Calais from Saturday morning unless they are granted more permits to operate off Britain’s coast.
Jean Castex, France’s prime minister, will warn EU and UK negotiators – who on Monday continued high-stakes discussions over post-Brexit fishing licences – that they have until midnight on Friday to resolve the row.
French fishermen staged a protest off the coast of Jersey in May to express their anger over their reduced access to British waters post-Brexit
France is furious that the UK has approved just 15 permits for small French fishing boats to operate in the zone between six to 12 miles off its coast, out of 47 applications
The row threatens to plunge Franco-British relations to a new low. Paris and London have also been at odds over Chanel migrant crossings and the UK’s Aukus nuclear submarine with Australia and the US, which cut out the French.
Responding to mounting pressure from French trawlermen, Mr Castex will on Tuesday unveil a package of planned reprisals that could be triggered as early as November 1.
It will include cutting energy supplies to the UK and Jersey and blocking Britain’s fishing fleet from entering French ports.
He is unlikely to secure support for hitting British exports with trade tariffs from the European Commission or EU capitals, some of whom believe Mr Macron is using the row as part of his re-election campaign ahead of next year’s presidential ballot.
But Paris could order its customs officials to cause backlogs by carrying out more physical checks on shipments between Britain and France, and vice-versa.
Annick Girardin, France’s maritime minister, has reassured French fishermen that she ‘won’t give up’ until they’re granted more licences to fish off the coasts of Britain and Jersey
Companies could also be slapped with new surcharges for the more vigorous controls on the French border.
Annick Girardin, France’s maritime minister, has reassured French fishermen that she “won’t give up” until they’re granted more licences to fish off the coasts of Britain and Jersey.
“We are one week away from the deadline set by France for answers from the UK,” she said. “I want to give clear visibility to the fishermen and remind them the French government is by their side.”
“I want my licences back,” she added, in reference to Margret Thatcher’s renowned outburst during budget talks at an EU summit in 1979.
French officials are more cautious over the prospect of retaliatory measures. One said: “We’ll have to stay within proportionate sanctions so as not to further affect the already well-deteriorated relationship with the UK.”
Raising the prospect of militant action by the country’s trawlermen, France’s powerful National Fisheries Committee criticised the slow progress being made during the EU and UK’s “vessel-by-vessel” negotiations over fishing licences.
“The negotiations that resumed last Wednesday have led to the issuance of a handful of additional licenses at this stage,” the organisation said. “The progress made is far too timid and especially far too long.”
Britain insists it is working constructively to help French fishermen prove their status to operate in UK waters under the Brexit trade agreement.
A government spokesman said: “We’re continuing to work closely with the European Commission and French government and we remain open to considering further evidence that supports the remaining licence applications.
“Defra have recently granted a further three licenses to French vessels under 12 meters as a result of new evidence supplied by the Commission.”
We cant win, we follow the fishing agreements to the letter and even that’s not enough. Sigh.
Well that just comes off as petty.
[deleted]
fairly sure that wasn’t mentioned in the dispute resolution mechanisms
The U.K. really needs to develop other connections to the European continent, start phasing out France as they’re too unpredictable. A new tunnel to Belgium or The Netherlands would be cool.
I was going to type out a long answer about this but I really am exhausted by the whole thing so I’ll keep it short.
I really don’t think this is helpful or constructive by france. It certainly won’t do anything to help them get what they want.
Edit actually im going to expand somewhat. Im becoming genuinely concerned about our relationship with france. I expected it to be stressed during the Brexit negotiations but I expected it to start healing after it was mainly resolved. However it appears that at every opportunity france are upping the rhetoric and escalating situations excessively and unnecessarily. Ultimately no good will come of it and I hope that there are some sensible people behind the scenes both within france and within the wider EU having a word with Macron.
Ffs Macron just grow up, it’s just pathetic at this point, we aren’t giving your criminal fisherman licenses, jog on
The Top Brexiter Newspaper has an article about how “our eternal enemy and EU puppet master, France” are **preparing** to “bully us poor-victims/great-nation” in response to us “outwitting those foreigners by obbeying the letter of an agreement but not the spirit whilst giving bureaucracy and the ‘independence’ of the Channel Islands as excuse”.
Oh, and God Save The Queen!
Thanks for giving me the heads up on not buying stuff from the continent for Xmas, I guess. This might encourage ships to supply the U.K. directly instead of via Rotterdam.
Hopefully, this will encourage more logistics companies to switch to rail freight too and get dirty lorries off the road.
Although this is from the Telegraph, so it might just be hot air. Anyone have a link, I refuse to give them a sub.
Come on guys, it’s the Telegraph.
[deleted]
Roll on 2026.
This is why I love the French. Should have stayed in the EU, lads.
The worst thing we ever did was liberate France. Never had any thanks for it at all.
Im still happy with that fishing charter from 1666 we have in Belgium.
Long term the UK needs an alternative to bringing stuff through France
UK becoming the european Cuba. Small isolated island blocked from trading with his neighbours, supported by an overseas imperialist power.
I’m sure someone in here will be able to explain why France are trying to wage economic warfare on the UK, instead of going through the dispute mechanism built into the treaty both parties signed just for events like this…
One of these days I’m sure…
This is so stupid from the French.
There must be the good old days of European antagonism that Brexiters were so keen to see a return too.
The article starts with that the French are “believed to”. Can any French people confirm this? Just believing the telegraph about anything France seems like going about it the wrong way.
Brexiteer gammons will like this, I’m sure
Why can’t stuff come via Rotterdam / the big Belgian port?
One good thing of Brexit seems to be unifying the country more than ever… against the French.
On that basis, the UK should just ban all French fishing boats from its waters.
This doesn’t exactly make me want to share my fish bro
Could I ask what the « dispute resolution mechanisms » mentioned in this thread are for the fisheries deal? I haven’t found anything online.
How much slower can they go, given that the world seems to be at a standstill already?
28 comments
France is preparing to implement a go-slow strategy for customs checks on shipments to and from Britain ahead of Christmas in an escalation of the post-Brexit war over fishing rights, officials fear.
Paris will on Tuesday rubber-stamp a package of planned retaliatory measures that could be triggered if French fishermen are not granted greater access to Britain’s coastal waters.
The Telegraph understands the prospect of French customs officials deliberately disputing cross-Channel trade is a chief concern amongst British officials.
French fishing leaders are also threatening to blockade shipments in and out of Calais from Saturday morning unless they are granted more permits to operate off Britain’s coast.
Jean Castex, France’s prime minister, will warn EU and UK negotiators – who on Monday continued high-stakes discussions over post-Brexit fishing licences – that they have until midnight on Friday to resolve the row.
French fishermen staged a protest off the coast of Jersey in May to express their anger over their reduced access to British waters post-Brexit
France is furious that the UK has approved just 15 permits for small French fishing boats to operate in the zone between six to 12 miles off its coast, out of 47 applications
The row threatens to plunge Franco-British relations to a new low. Paris and London have also been at odds over Chanel migrant crossings and the UK’s Aukus nuclear submarine with Australia and the US, which cut out the French.
Responding to mounting pressure from French trawlermen, Mr Castex will on Tuesday unveil a package of planned reprisals that could be triggered as early as November 1.
It will include cutting energy supplies to the UK and Jersey and blocking Britain’s fishing fleet from entering French ports.
He is unlikely to secure support for hitting British exports with trade tariffs from the European Commission or EU capitals, some of whom believe Mr Macron is using the row as part of his re-election campaign ahead of next year’s presidential ballot.
But Paris could order its customs officials to cause backlogs by carrying out more physical checks on shipments between Britain and France, and vice-versa.
Annick Girardin, France’s maritime minister, has reassured French fishermen that she ‘won’t give up’ until they’re granted more licences to fish off the coasts of Britain and Jersey
Companies could also be slapped with new surcharges for the more vigorous controls on the French border.
Annick Girardin, France’s maritime minister, has reassured French fishermen that she “won’t give up” until they’re granted more licences to fish off the coasts of Britain and Jersey.
“We are one week away from the deadline set by France for answers from the UK,” she said. “I want to give clear visibility to the fishermen and remind them the French government is by their side.”
“I want my licences back,” she added, in reference to Margret Thatcher’s renowned outburst during budget talks at an EU summit in 1979.
French officials are more cautious over the prospect of retaliatory measures. One said: “We’ll have to stay within proportionate sanctions so as not to further affect the already well-deteriorated relationship with the UK.”
Raising the prospect of militant action by the country’s trawlermen, France’s powerful National Fisheries Committee criticised the slow progress being made during the EU and UK’s “vessel-by-vessel” negotiations over fishing licences.
“The negotiations that resumed last Wednesday have led to the issuance of a handful of additional licenses at this stage,” the organisation said. “The progress made is far too timid and especially far too long.”
Britain insists it is working constructively to help French fishermen prove their status to operate in UK waters under the Brexit trade agreement.
A government spokesman said: “We’re continuing to work closely with the European Commission and French government and we remain open to considering further evidence that supports the remaining licence applications.
“Defra have recently granted a further three licenses to French vessels under 12 meters as a result of new evidence supplied by the Commission.”
We cant win, we follow the fishing agreements to the letter and even that’s not enough. Sigh.
Well that just comes off as petty.
[deleted]
fairly sure that wasn’t mentioned in the dispute resolution mechanisms
The U.K. really needs to develop other connections to the European continent, start phasing out France as they’re too unpredictable. A new tunnel to Belgium or The Netherlands would be cool.
I was going to type out a long answer about this but I really am exhausted by the whole thing so I’ll keep it short.
I really don’t think this is helpful or constructive by france. It certainly won’t do anything to help them get what they want.
Edit actually im going to expand somewhat. Im becoming genuinely concerned about our relationship with france. I expected it to be stressed during the Brexit negotiations but I expected it to start healing after it was mainly resolved. However it appears that at every opportunity france are upping the rhetoric and escalating situations excessively and unnecessarily. Ultimately no good will come of it and I hope that there are some sensible people behind the scenes both within france and within the wider EU having a word with Macron.
Ffs Macron just grow up, it’s just pathetic at this point, we aren’t giving your criminal fisherman licenses, jog on
The Top Brexiter Newspaper has an article about how “our eternal enemy and EU puppet master, France” are **preparing** to “bully us poor-victims/great-nation” in response to us “outwitting those foreigners by obbeying the letter of an agreement but not the spirit whilst giving bureaucracy and the ‘independence’ of the Channel Islands as excuse”.
Oh, and God Save The Queen!
Thanks for giving me the heads up on not buying stuff from the continent for Xmas, I guess. This might encourage ships to supply the U.K. directly instead of via Rotterdam.
Hopefully, this will encourage more logistics companies to switch to rail freight too and get dirty lorries off the road.
Although this is from the Telegraph, so it might just be hot air. Anyone have a link, I refuse to give them a sub.
Come on guys, it’s the Telegraph.
[deleted]
Roll on 2026.
This is why I love the French. Should have stayed in the EU, lads.
The worst thing we ever did was liberate France. Never had any thanks for it at all.
Im still happy with that fishing charter from 1666 we have in Belgium.
Long term the UK needs an alternative to bringing stuff through France
UK becoming the european Cuba. Small isolated island blocked from trading with his neighbours, supported by an overseas imperialist power.
I’m sure someone in here will be able to explain why France are trying to wage economic warfare on the UK, instead of going through the dispute mechanism built into the treaty both parties signed just for events like this…
One of these days I’m sure…
This is so stupid from the French.
There must be the good old days of European antagonism that Brexiters were so keen to see a return too.
The article starts with that the French are “believed to”. Can any French people confirm this? Just believing the telegraph about anything France seems like going about it the wrong way.
Brexiteer gammons will like this, I’m sure
Why can’t stuff come via Rotterdam / the big Belgian port?
One good thing of Brexit seems to be unifying the country more than ever… against the French.
On that basis, the UK should just ban all French fishing boats from its waters.
This doesn’t exactly make me want to share my fish bro
Could I ask what the « dispute resolution mechanisms » mentioned in this thread are for the fisheries deal? I haven’t found anything online.
How much slower can they go, given that the world seems to be at a standstill already?