France intends to retaliate against Britain’s refusal to offer more permits for French fishermen working in British inshore waters and is likely to announce its measures today.
The nature of the response, planned by Jean Castex, the prime minister, and Annick Girardin, the seas minister, has not been revealed. It could include raising the price of French electricity supplied to Jersey, which is 90 per cent of the island’s total, and restrictions on access for British boats to unload their fish. Curbs on the flow of goods across the Channel, including new tariffs, have also been considered.
The measures, which will require EU approval, are expected to be announced after they are endorsed at a cabinet meeting chaired by President Macron tomorrow, a spokesman for Girardin said.
France has been angered that Britain has not satisfied its demands for more licences for smaller craft to fish in waters six to twelve miles from the British coast. Britain only approved 15 permits out of 47 applications. In total 200 permits have been granted for French boats to work in the wider economic zone off the British Isles, but 230 more have applied.
“The British have restarted negotiations and approved a few extra licences but we are not at all near the necessary number,” a French official said on Monday. The retaliatory measures would be “concrete, proportional and reversible”, he said.
Girardin’s team has been working with the European Commission to co-ordinate sanctions but French officials have accused Brussels of dragging its feet. “We are walking on eggs,” one said. “We have to remain within proportional sanctions to avoid affecting even more the already deteriorated relationship with the United Kingdom.”
Castex said this month that if the EU would not stand by France he would go to the arbitration panel set up in the Brexit trade deal. France was ready to act unilaterally if this failed, he added.
French fishermen’s leaders are threatening to stop shipments in and out of Calais from Saturday morning unless there is more progress in talks with the British authorities.
Britain insists that approval was refused only to fishing boats that had failed to prove that they had operated in the six-twelve mile zone before 2016.
It sounds like, as negotiations with the EU get underway on Friday, France will give the UK leverage in them.
It’s not often I thank France, but thanks lads. It sounds like you’re helping the UK out.
To Fight back you have to be attacked first.
Love the way the extent of there threats is ‘we will raise the price of electricity to a crown dependency which is fully capable of producing its own electricity.
Or other measures…..’The measures which will require EU approval’, I mean everyones recovering from covid and itching for a trade war am i right?
Oh no….anyway
Don’t they have to go to the arbitration panel before any such retaliation?
Feels like a one sided struggle to be honest
As this post shows, no one cares besides Brits.
What else are they supposed to do? Surrender? That would be completely out of character.
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France intends to retaliate against Britain’s refusal to offer more permits for French fishermen working in British inshore waters and is likely to announce its measures today.
The nature of the response, planned by Jean Castex, the prime minister, and Annick Girardin, the seas minister, has not been revealed. It could include raising the price of French electricity supplied to Jersey, which is 90 per cent of the island’s total, and restrictions on access for British boats to unload their fish. Curbs on the flow of goods across the Channel, including new tariffs, have also been considered.
The measures, which will require EU approval, are expected to be announced after they are endorsed at a cabinet meeting chaired by President Macron tomorrow, a spokesman for Girardin said.
France has been angered that Britain has not satisfied its demands for more licences for smaller craft to fish in waters six to twelve miles from the British coast. Britain only approved 15 permits out of 47 applications. In total 200 permits have been granted for French boats to work in the wider economic zone off the British Isles, but 230 more have applied.
“The British have restarted negotiations and approved a few extra licences but we are not at all near the necessary number,” a French official said on Monday. The retaliatory measures would be “concrete, proportional and reversible”, he said.
Girardin’s team has been working with the European Commission to co-ordinate sanctions but French officials have accused Brussels of dragging its feet. “We are walking on eggs,” one said. “We have to remain within proportional sanctions to avoid affecting even more the already deteriorated relationship with the United Kingdom.”
Castex said this month that if the EU would not stand by France he would go to the arbitration panel set up in the Brexit trade deal. France was ready to act unilaterally if this failed, he added.
French fishermen’s leaders are threatening to stop shipments in and out of Calais from Saturday morning unless there is more progress in talks with the British authorities.
Britain insists that approval was refused only to fishing boats that had failed to prove that they had operated in the six-twelve mile zone before 2016.
It sounds like, as negotiations with the EU get underway on Friday, France will give the UK leverage in them.
It’s not often I thank France, but thanks lads. It sounds like you’re helping the UK out.
To Fight back you have to be attacked first.
Love the way the extent of there threats is ‘we will raise the price of electricity to a crown dependency which is fully capable of producing its own electricity.
Or other measures…..’The measures which will require EU approval’, I mean everyones recovering from covid and itching for a trade war am i right?
Oh no….anyway
Don’t they have to go to the arbitration panel before any such retaliation?
Feels like a one sided struggle to be honest
As this post shows, no one cares besides Brits.
What else are they supposed to do? Surrender? That would be completely out of character.