France called for finding a "quick solution" to the dispute between it and London on the issue of fishing licenses, after a new bilateral meeting.
“This morning I spoke again with my counterpart David Frost.
France remains open to dialogue, but a quick solution must be found for our fishermen, in application of our agreements, ”tweeted Clément Beaune, the French Secretary of State for European Affairs on Tuesday.
#Brexit |
This morning, I spoke again with @DavidGHFrost 🇫🇷🇪🇺🇬🇧
France remains open to dialogue, but a quick solution must be found for our fishermen, in application of our agreements.
pic.twitter.com/t5qwgTnmZf
- Clement Beaune (@CBeaune) November 9, 2021
Under the Brexit deal, European fishermen can continue to work in certain UK waters provided they can prove that they previously fished there.
20% of French catches come from British waters
But the French and the British argue over the nature and extent of the supporting documents to be provided.
Paris, which accuses London of not respecting the terms of the agreement, says 200 license applications for French boats are overdue, a figure that London disputes.
About a quarter of French catches in volume (around 20% in value) come from British waters, which are very rich in fish and which are the source of 650 million euros in annual sales for European fishermen.
For the time being, despite several bilateral meetings at several levels as well as the involvement of the EU, the situation is paralyzed and takes place in a wider context of significant deterioration in Franco-British relations and tensions between London and Brussels on the question of Northern Ireland in the context of Brexit.
