The post-Brexit dispute between France and Great Britain over fishing licenses for French fishermen is close to being resolved after months of negotiations, European Commissioner for Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevicius said on Sunday April 10.
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Read alsoPost-Brexit fishing: the United Kingdom grants 23 additional licenses to the French
“
We have managed to obtain most of the licenses that have been requested
” by the owners of the French boats to be able to fish in British waters, with only 70 licenses outstanding, the European commissioner told the Financial Times.
The European Commission, which has supported France in this dispute, “
fully intends to continue to build satisfactory and constructive relations with the United Kingdom
”, he assured.
Nearly 1700 fishing licenses granted
As part of the agreement signed at the end of 2020 between London and Brussels on relations between the European Union and Great Britain after Brexit, London agreed to allow French fishing boats to work in British waters as they had been doing it for centuries.
But although it has granted nearly 1,700 fishing licenses to EU boats, Great Britain has required, for the renewal of fishing rights, supporting documents which, according to Paris, are very difficult to provide for French boats operating in the very fishy area located 6-12 nautical miles from the coast.
Under the agreement between London and the EU, European fishermen can continue to work in British waters provided they prove they have fished there before.
Applications for licenses for 150 boats were initially rejected.
The Commission has provided the support of its legal service to France, while French fishermen have threatened to block French ports and the Channel Tunnel if they do not obtain more licenses.
Read also Post-Brexit fishing: France will go to litigation if it does not obtain its licenses from the United Kingdom, warns Girardin
In December, France announced that it would ask the European Commission to initiate post-Brexit litigation proceedings against the United Kingdom to obtain a certain number of fishing licenses, explaining that there had 80 outstanding claims.
Western countries' coordinated responses to Russia's invasion of Ukraine prompted the EU and Britain to show cooperation, at least on this issue, with post-Brexit squabbles pushed into the background .
