In its dispute with Paris over fishing licenses, London is ready to activate for the first time a conflict resolution tool provided for in post-Brexit agreements with the EU, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Saturday.
Read alsoHave the British kept their commitments on fishing rights?
"
No, of course not, I do not exclude it,
" Boris Johnson told Sky News on the sidelines of the G20 in Rome, where he is due to have a face-to-face meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday. "
If there is a violation of the treaty (by France Editor's note) or if we believe that there is a violation of the treaty, then we will do what is necessary to protect British interests
". "
But I believe that what everyone wants is cooperation between the European allies and Emmanuel Macron,
" he added.
"
And I share the common opinion that climate change is a disaster for humanity and that we have the means to face it,
" he said ahead of the COP26 summit next week in Glasgow. . The conflict over fishing "
is frankly cat pee, incidental, compared to the threat to humanity we face
."
France criticizes the United Kingdom for granting too few post-Brexit fishing licenses to its fishermen.
She promised to ban British fishing vessels from unloading their cargo in French ports on Tuesday and to strengthen customs controls on trucks, if the situation does not improve by then.
Far from subsiding before the meeting at the top of Rome, the tension rose further on Friday with the threat from London to implement "
rigorous controls
" on European boats spawning in its waters, if Paris actually carries out its threats. .
Read also Post-Brexit fishing: London threatens to strengthen controls on European boats
The post-Brexit agreement, concluded in extremis at the end of 2020 between London and Brussels, provides that European fishermen can continue to work in certain British waters under certain conditions.
London claims to have granted 98% of EU vessel license applications to fish in its waters, a figure disputed by France, which speaks of 90%.