The British government and the Jersey authorities indignantly denounced on Wednesday 5 May the implicit threat from Paris to cut off the current on the Channel Island because of the fishing conditions imposed on French sailors after Brexit. An explosive subject throughout the negotiations on the conditions for the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, the access of European fishermen to British waters continues to cause friction despite the agreement reached between London and Brussels, in force since 1er last january.
According to Paris, the United Kingdom on Friday published a list of 41 French vessels, out of 344 requests, authorized to fish in Jersey waters, but this list comes with new requirements “Which have not been concerted, discussed or notified before” as part of the agreement. On Tuesday, the French Minister of the Sea, Annick Girardin, affirmed that France was ready to resort to “Retaliatory measures” if the British authorities continued to restrict the access of French fishermen to these waters. Before the National Assembly, she alluded to possible repercussions on the “Transmission of electricity by submarine cable” which supplies the island from France.
“Unacceptable threats”
“The threats to Jersey are clearly unacceptable and disproportionate”, denounced a British government spokesperson, saying “Trust France to use the mechanisms” foreseen by the post-Brexit agreement ” to solve problems “. “This is not the first threat from the French towards Jersey or the United Kingdom since we have been in this new agreement”Island Foreign Minister Ian Gorst said on the BBC. “It would be disproportionate to cut the power just because we need to provide additional details so that we can refine the licenses” fishing, he said.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Jersey government said it had “Granted fishing licenses in accordance with the trade agreement” concluded between Brussels and London at the end of December. The latter provides for a transition period until the summer of 2026, when European fishermen will give up 25% of catches in British waters. In the meantime, European Union fishermen maintain guaranteed access to areas between 6 and 12 nautical miles off the British coast, which is full of fish and often quieter for sailing, where they traditionally went.
To obtain this authorization, however, vessels must demonstrate to the British authorities that they were already fishing in this area over the reference period 2012-2016. And tensions have resurfaced in recent days, fishermen complaining about the slowness of London to issue them licenses.
A hundred French boats in Jersey
Dimitri Rogoff, the president of the regional fisheries committee of Normandy, warned that a hundred French boats intended to go Thursday to the port of Saint Helier, the capital of Jersey, to show their dissatisfaction. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson felt that any potential blockade of Jersey ports by French fishermen “Would be totally unjustified”, calling for a “De-escalation of tensions”.
He still claimed to send two patrol ships. “As a precaution”, says a statement from Downing Street, and took advantage of a call with the Minister of the island, John le Fondré, to reiterate his “Unwavering support for Jersey”. The French Ministry of the Sea said it had asked the European Commission, the only one empowered to negotiate with the United Kingdom, to obtain “Clarification”.
A spokesperson for the Commission interviewed by AFP recalled Monday evening that “Any condition” had to be notified with sufficient notice so that the other party could “Comment or adapt”. “In addition, such conditions cannot be discriminatory towards our fishermen”, she said, confirming that the Commission would contact the British authorities.
The situation is all the more complex as Brussels and London have still not managed to agree on the adoption of fishing quotas for stocks shared between the EU and the United Kingdom for 2021.