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Channel: French fishermen begin their blockage

2021-11-26T08:11:24.388Z


While London has until December 10 to settle the licensing problem, many fishermen are organizing blocking operations in


A day without sleep.

After working all night, dozens of French fishermen are preparing to show their anger and concern.

This Friday morning, the fishermen want to block the entry and exit of ships coming from Great Britain in three French ports in the Channel, starting with Saint-Malo (Ille-et-Vilaine), before extending their action to Calais (Pas-de-Calais, from 12 p.m. to 1.30 p.m.) then to Ouistreham (Calvados, from 2 p.m.), before hindering, in vans this time, road access to the Channel Tunnel.

According to Ouest-France, after raising their traps and unloading kilos of spider crabs, the Saint-Malo fishermen found themselves at around 7 a.m. at the foot of the ramparts.

They went to meet the freighter of the Normandy Trader, the company which transports goods between Jersey and Saint-Malo.

The landings before the blockade # saint-malo #pecheurs pic.twitter.com/vlaRIDgVem

- CARNEC Nicolas (@CARNECNicolas) November 26, 2021

By this "pressure stroke", the first since the blockade of the Channel Island of Jersey last May, the fishermen hope to finally obtain the settlement of the post-Brexit fishing disputes with the United Kingdom and that France is posting greater firmness.

“The UK must respect the post-Brexit deal.

Too many fishermen are still in the dark, ”Gérard Romiti, president of the national fisheries committee, said on Thursday at a press conference.

Passengers will be able to pass but not freight.

The aim is to block “exports (…) to England, to reach the British population and raise awareness of what is happening.

They have access to the European market and we still do not have access to their waters, ”explained Olivier Leprêtre, president of the Hauts-de-France fisheries committee.

Passengers will be able to pass but not freight

25% of trade between the United Kingdom and Europe passes through the Channel Tunnel and London, which had to mobilize its army to reduce major supply problems, reacted on Thursday evening, urging France to "s 'ensure that illegal acts are not committed and that trade is not affected ”.

Under the Brexit agreement signed at the end of 2020 between London and Brussels, European fishermen can continue to work in British waters provided they can prove that they were fishing there before. But the French and the British are arguing over the nature and extent of the supporting documents to be provided, especially since in the spring, Jersey introduced additional rules. In total, since January 1, 2021, France has obtained "more than 960 licenses" for fishing in British waters and the Channel Islands, but Paris is still asking for more than 150 authorizations, according to the French Ministry of the Sea. This situation is particularly dramatic for the fishermen who did not obtain the sesame, they show losses ranging from 20 to 50% of turnover.

There is no longer any question of buying back the licenses.

Sunday, Emmanuel Macron reiterated his support for French fishermen and Wednesday the European Commission issued an "ultimatum" in London, asking that the dispute be settled by December 10.

"We have been very nice" until then, estimated this morning, on his boat, the president of the Ille-et-Vilaine fisheries committee Pascal Leclerc.

“We are hostage to politics.

It does not make us happy to be there, but it cannot last any longer, ”he told our colleagues from West-France.

Source: leparis

All business articles on 2021-11-26

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