After 23 additional licenses were granted Saturday by the British to French fishermen, France has now obtained "
93% of the licenses
" requested, said Clément Beaune this Monday morning on Cnews.
"
We still have a few dozen to obtain, around 60,
" added the Secretary of State for European Affairs.
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Although the 23 licenses awarded on Saturday are much lower than the 104 claimed by Paris, Clément Beaune welcomed the progress of the negotiations.
"
At the beginning of November, we had a little more than 60% of the licenses to which we were entitled
", he stressed, explaining that "
more than 80 licenses
" had been granted "
in recent days
".
France has so far obtained 1,027 licenses, with ultimatums and threats.
These post-Brexit fishing licenses in British waters have been at the center of a standoff between the French and British authorities for several months, the two countries clashing over the supporting documents that French fishermen must provide to be entitled to them.
A new meeting by Wednesday
Clément Beaune assured that France would continue its lobbying work to obtain the remaining licenses.
“
We are looking at every file that remains.
We will not let down any of these fishermen
", declared the Secretary of State, explaining that the negotiation could pass by"
the dialogue
"or"
the legal dispute
".
A new meeting with the French fishermen is planned "
by Wednesday
", "
to define (...) the last stage of this strategy of pressure, of dialogue
".
Read also Post-Brexit fishing: considering themselves "neglected", French fishermen are considering actions
On Saturday, the fishermen of Hauts-de-France expressed their disappointment at the number of licenses not yet approved, considering themselves "
neglected by the (European) Commission
".
The region's marine fisheries committee had even announced forthcoming action against British imports.
The national fishermen's committee had also mentioned the "
disappointment
" and "
anger
" of its members, explaining "to
think about the methods of action
".