Paris had been promising retaliatory measures against London for weeks if French fishermen did not obtain licenses to fish in British waters, authorizations to which France considers they are entitled under the post-Brexit agreement signed between the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom. As pressure mounts on the ground and the campaign for the presidential election intensifies, France has decided to take action.
During the night of Wednesday 27 to Thursday 28 October in the morning, two English ships were fined in French waters off the port of Le Havre. One of them was unable to present a license and was therefore confused, the other was sanctioned for refusing to let the maritime gendarmerie board. “By carrying out these checks, France applies to the letter, in a meticulous way, the agreement which was concluded between the Europeans and London”, explains Macronist MEP Nathalie Loiseau.
A few hours earlier, Wednesday, in a press release published by the services of the Minister of the Sea, Annick Girardin, and the Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune, Paris had also announced retaliatory measures. From November 2, if the situation does not improve by then, most ports in France will be closed to British fishing vessels and customs and health checks on British imports will be systematic. The government has also announced that it is preparing a second package of measures and is not ruling out “Review the energy supply supplied to the United Kingdom”.
“We have been extremely patient” corn “Now we must speak the language of force, because unfortunately this British government only understands that”, Clément Beaune told CNews on Wednesday. “It’s not war, it’s a fight” so that the fishermen obtain the licenses which are due to them, for its part declared Annick Girardin, Thursday on RTL.
Difficult to mobilize on fishing
By raising the tone with regard to London, France is also putting pressure on the European Commission, which is negotiating with London, on behalf of the member states, for the granting of licenses for all European fishermen and which Paris considers too little offensive. The community executive “Must work harder to ensure that the United Kingdom meets its commitments”, said Annick Girardin. The Minister calls on Brussels to convene the Partnership Council – the body responsible for the governance of the agreement between the Twenty-Seven and London – “To signal to the United Kingdom that it is not respecting its agreement and therefore that retaliatory measures can be taken”.
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