Tick-tock, tick-tock… On the sidelines of the COP26, which opened in Glasgow, another diplomatic battle is being played out: that of fishing licenses and the establishment by France, as of this evening, at midnight, retaliatory measures.
For several months, French fishermen have been waiting for authorizations to be able to fish in British waters, as provided for in the Brexit agreement, but nothing is coming.
The retaliatory measures "would come into force this evening midnight" if no progress is recorded, reaffirmed Monday morning the Elysee.
Emmanuel Macron had already warned the day before that "if the British do not make any move, obviously the measures planned from November 2 will have to be put in place."
British fishermen in the sights
This is the main French retaliatory measure, the one that could do the most "harm".
The government has decided to
ban British fishermen from landing in French ports
.
Concretely, a British fisherman who sold his goods in France is thus deprived of this market from Tuesday, except to come back to disembark in Great Britain and to transport his goods differently ...
This measure directly hinders the business of British fishermen, but could also disrupt the sector in France.
The Union du mareyage français (UMF) warned last week, in a press release, about the importance of British fishing in sales made in France: “Such a measure would represent a terrible double penalty for fishmonger companies and would damage sustainably the competitiveness of the French fish trade.
"
Reinforced controls at sea and on land
France wants to make life hard for British ships. Thus, the government will also impose from Tuesday a
systematic "security" control of British ships
. The English got a taste of it last week: two trawlers were fined, one for initially wanting to avoid control, another for fishing in French waters without a license - the same ones the British are reluctant to issue to French fishermen.
Fishermen won't be the only ones to have it harder.
The government plans to
“strengthen health and customs controls”
for all products imported from Britain.
Trucks may also have to wait longer at the border, due to
"increased controls to and from Britain"
.
The measure is all the stronger as the United Kingdom has been suffering from shortages for several weeks.
Towards other measures?
The British government did not appreciate these measures.
"The French have made completely unreasonable threats, including against the Channel Islands and our fishing industry and they must withdraw those threats," British Foreign Minister Liz Truss said on Sky News on Monday, threatening to ask "compensatory measures".
Right in its boots, France has already warned: “A second series of measures is being prepared.
The government could weigh in the balance its "energy supply" provided to the United Kingdom, in particular via a submarine cable to the island of Jersey, this Channel island which depends largely on electricity. tricolor.
