“Just to be clear, I think it’s really important that the EU and U.K. work together on defense and security,” Rosencrantz said. “Obviously, there are other sensitive issues as well for many member states which also need to be resolved, fisheries being one.”
Asked if it would be possible to complete a defense pact first and then move onto negotiating fishing rights, she said: “I think we have to find a way where we can do both because we want to move ahead with the defense partnership but for many countries it’s important to solve the other sensitive issues as well. And therefore I think it will be important to take steps also when it comes to fisheries and other topics.”
While behind the scenes officials have let it be known that France in particular is determined to secure more advantageous fishing rights in return for a reset in the U.K.-EU relationship, it is rare for such a senior figure in a European government to publicly make the link between the defense pact and fish.
Reset in relations
The issue of fishing rights dogged the negotiations over Britain’s departure from the EU and soured relations between London and Paris after the U.K. left the bloc, especially during Boris Johnson’s tenure as U.K. prime minister, when he clashed repeatedly with French President Emmanuel Macron.
British officials had hoped that Starmer’s plan for a “reset” in relations with the EU would get a quick win on security and defense, because the U.K.’s military is still held in high regard across Europe ― and it also has nuclear weapons ― making an alliance attractive.
Jessica Rosencrantz, Sweden’s EU affairs minister, said it was vital to make fast progress on a formal security agreement with the U.K., especially at a time of heightened tension over Ukraine, as countries rapidly re-arm. | Martin Bertrand/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images
But numerous officials involved in the process say progress has slowed as a result of the question of fishing rights, along with issues such as a proposed youth mobility scheme and border policies for Gibraltar. Negotiations are ongoing with the aim of having an agreed plan ready to show off at a summit in the U.K. between Starmer and the EU’s top brass on May 19.