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France has stopped a British fishing vessel and announced that it will close nearly all its ports to UK trawlers, a major escalation in its current dispute with the country over fishing rights after Brexit.
"With a few exceptions, all French ports will no longer be accessible to British ships," French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune said in an interview on French television channel CNEWS, referring to ships unloading fish. and products.
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Some three or four ports will remain open to British fishing vessels when the closure takes effect on Tuesday, and the exact number will be decided next week, he said, adding: "There will be no tolerance or leniency."
Beaune also said that security checks started Wednesday night had intercepted two British ships "that were not respecting the rules."
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The French Minister of the Sea, Annick Girardin, had previously confirmed that two British ships had been inspected and fined, and one of them was also diverted to a French port.
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Why was the ship stopped
One of the vessels was not on the EU-approved list of British fishing vessels, and the regional government director "immediately issued" an order to divert the vessel to the French port of Le Havre, according to his statement.
Britain said it is investigating the incident.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday, Environment Minister George Eustice said he had seen reports that the seized vessel "was originally on a list and then appeared not to be on the list," adding that it was something that he had asked his officials to "investigate urgently."
A UK government spokesman told CNN on Thursday that he was aware of "reports of law enforcement activity being carried out by French authorities" and was "investigating the matter urgently."
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The other ship was fined for failing to comply with orders to allow French authorities to board the ship for checks, according to the statement tweeted by Girardin.
Additional checks by French maritime gendarmes found no other infringement of fisheries regulations.
The ships were stopped off the coast of Le Havre, in the English Channel.
The judicial procedure could entail the confiscation of the catches of the first boat and of the vessel itself against the payment of a bond, according to the statement, adding that "the captain of the fishing vessel risks criminal sanctions."
The conflict after Brexit
The fines represent the latest round of tensions in long-running disputes between the UK and France over the rights of French and British vessels to fish in each country's waters after Brexit.
The latest French measures come in response to the UK government's refusal to grant post-Brexit fishing licenses to several French fishermen.
Beaune said that almost half of French requests to fish in British waters had been rejected;
A spokesman for the European Commission told reporters on Tuesday that, as of October 1, the UK has granted licenses to 15 of the 47 smaller French vessels that applied to fish in UK territorial waters.
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Of the remainder, France has agreed to rescind applications for 17 vessels whose evidence of their fishing activity in British waters prior to Brexit was deemed deficient, the spokesperson said.
A statement from the French government indicated that "specific measures" against the United Kingdom from 2 November would also include a reinforcement of customs and health controls, systematic security checks of British ships and a reinforcement of controls of trucks. traveling to and from the UK.
"This is not a war, but a fight"
Beaune added that the "systematic checks" of the trucks would also include their cargo, adding that it was not a matter of "cutting off contact, access, but being extremely strict in terms of inspections."
"This is not a war, but a fight," Girardin told French radio station RTL on Thursday morning.
A second set of retaliatory measures is being prepared by France, according to a government statement, adding that, "in this context, France does not preclude re-examining the supply of energy to the United Kingdom."
"Now we must speak the language of force because this British government only understands this," said Beaune.
"We cannot be in a climate of trust with a neighbor, a partner who does not respect the rules."
Trawlers moored in the port of Scarborough, northeast England, on December 21, 2020. (Credit: OLI SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images)
"An adequate and calibrated response"
On Wednesday, before the latest measures were formally announced, the UK condemned the proposed measures as "threats" which were "disappointing and disproportionate".
A British government spokesman said that "the threatened measures do not appear to be compatible with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (ATT) and with international law in general" and added that "if carried out, they will be received with an adequate and calibrated response ".
The UK said it would convey its concerns to the European Commission and the French government.
A Commission spokesman said in a statement Thursday that the EU would continue talks with both the UK and France to resolve the issue.
The EU insisted that "all French vessels entitled to a license must receive it," according to the statement.
They also stated that their "Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the United Kingdom is clear: the vessels that were fishing in these waters must be allowed to continue."
With information from Niamh Kennedy.
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