The British fishing trawler arrested in the Anglo-French fisheries dispute has left the port of Le Havre. The “Cornelis Gert Jan” ran out on Wednesday evening, as an AFP reporter reported. According to the captain’s lawyer, a court in Rouen had previously ruled that the ship could “leave” Le Havre immediately without paying a bail. In the coming days, important talks are planned in Paris and Brussels to settle the fisheries dispute.
The captain faces a fine of 75,000 euros
The French authorities had arrested the “Cornelis Gert Jan” a week ago in the port of Le Havre. There are suspicions that the crew fished two tons of scallops in French waters without a valid license. France had announced that it would tighten controls on British fishing trawlers.
The authorities set a bail of 150,000 euros. According to the captain’s lawyer, the court in Rouen has now approved the trawler’s departure without payment of this sum. “This is a good decision that will ease the tension,” said the lawyer. “The French judiciary is independent of political pressure.”
However, the captain has to answer to court on August 11, 2022 in Le Havre for illegal fishing in French waters. He faces a fine of up to 75,000 euros.
Talks between Great Britain and France planned
Paris and London have been arguing over fishing rights in British territorial waters for months following the UK’s exit from the EU. France accuses the British authorities of granting too few fishing permits for their own vessels. According to the Brexit trade agreement with the EU, fishermen are entitled to a license if it can be proven that they fished the waters in question before Brexit.
In the dispute, Paris had threatened to control all goods from Great Britain and to close ports to British fishermen. However, President Emmanuel Macron had initially postponed the entry into force of the sanctions due to the upcoming talks.
According to the French government spokesman Gabriel Attal, talks between the British Brexit representative David Frost and the French Secretary of State for Europe Clément Beaune in Paris are planned for Thursday in the dispute. Another meeting is to take place at the EU Commission on Friday.
“This is primarily a European matter, and therefore the meeting at the EU Commission will be very important,” said Attal on Wednesday in Paris. The result of the talks must therefore be awaited before the implementation of sanctions. Attal emphasized with a view to future punitive measures, however: “All options are on the table.”