Macron refuses to ‘abandon’ French fishermen in post-Brexit dispute with UK

French President Emmanuel Macron insisted on Friday that he would not “abandon” fishermen demanding post-Brexit licenses for the Channel Island waters of Jersey, escalating a battle of words that could turn into a trade war.

“We are going to keep fighting, we will not abandon our fishermen,” Macron told reporters during a visit to northern France.

“Today, they (the British) do not respect ‘the agreements’, I made it very clear to Boris,” insisted Johnson, the British prime minister.

He called on the European Commission to step up its efforts to pressure Jersey, a British crown dependency, to abide by what France says are the terms of the post-Brexit trade deal with the bloc.

“The Commission must protect us. It has to carry this out, but it is moving too slow, too weak,” Macron said, adding that “if the Commission does not play its role, France will.”

“I refuse to return to a bilateral discussion,” he added, because “this is not a question of France and the British, but of respecting their word.”

Macron promised that France will take a position on the issue “before Christmas.”

‘Urgency matter’

When asked for a comment, an EU spokeswoman in Brussels acknowledged that, despite some progress in license applications, “the process is still too slow.”

He said the commission would call for “an intensification of this process” as a “matter of urgency” as the first anniversary of the post-Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement looms in December.

Paris has already threatened to ban British vessels from unloading their catch in French ports and subjecting all British imports to inspections, severely hampering trade.

Officials also warned that electricity supply to Jersey, which relies on electricity from the French mainland, could be restricted or cost more.

At stake are dozens of licenses applied for by French fishermen who say Jersey has imposed onerous new requirements, including proof that the boats were already sailing Jersey waters for years before Britain’s departure from the EU in January.

Many ships are struggling to comply and accuse Jersey of deliberating to try to exclude them.

In addition to pending applications, Jersey has granted only temporary licenses while talks with France continue, but Paris insists they must be made permanent.

“In total, it involves between 150 and 200 licenses. That is still our demand,” said French Europe Minister Clement Beaune, adding that “we will keep all options on the table if the dialogue does not bear fruit.”

‘Time to act’

The comments came after French fisheries representatives reacted furiously to a proposal to spend millions of euros to compensate for the scrapping of vessels that can no longer ply Jersey waters.

The offer was seen as readying for capitulation in the fight with Britain, especially as EU member countries have been largely silent on the fisheries dispute.

“People talk more about the Irish protocol (about the future border between Ireland and Northern Ireland) than about the fisheries issue,” said Eric Maurice, a political analyst at the Robert Schuman Foundation in Brussels.

“Everyone in Brussels and in the member states realizes that the most important issue is the respect of the Brexit agreements by the British,” he said, “and everyone knows very well that we are dealing with a partner who does not always comply. his word “. “

Paris hopes to resolve the fisheries dispute in the few weeks left before it assumes the rotating EU presidency in January, when it will have to take care of all post-Brexit disputes.

Macron said he did not want to “make it an issue for the French presidency.”

But French fisheries representatives, as well as regional officials along the Channel coast, say they are losing patience.

In May, dozens of ships gathered in Jersey’s main port to protest, sparking a clash that prompted France and Britain to dispatch military vessels.

“The time has come to act,” Jean-Luc Hall, director of the French fisheries committee, told AFP.

“Fishermen are considering a new mobilization in the coming days to defend their just and legitimate demands,” his commission said in a statement.

(AFP)