No resolution of Franco-British fishing spat as EU deadline expires

An EU deadline for Britain to grant licences to dozens of French fishing boats appeared to expire overnight without any final breakthrough in talks, despite France's threat to seek European legal action.

Fishing had been the subject of bitter last-minute wrangling in the post-Brexit trade deal. © AFP/Nicolas GUBERT

UPDATE : 12h46UT

Britain has granted another 23 licences to French fishermen, a government spokesperson said Saturday, a day after a deadline set by Paris to resolve a post-Brexit battle over fishing rights.

The licences were agreed Friday night after officials met European Union counterparts and followed what the spokesman called an "evidence-based approach" ensuring vessels qualify to work in UK waters.

France says that 104 of its boats still lack licences to operate in British and Channel Island waters that should have been granted under a Brexit deal Britain signed with the European Union in December last year.

But Britain had not made any announcement about granting more licences by 22h00 UT, while France said it was not planning any statement on the matter either.

The UK has denied discriminating against French boats and says many of the vessels are unable to provide the paperwork required to qualify for a licence.

A British government spokesman is reported to have said: "This is a technical process based on evidence rather than deadlines."

But France's Europe Minister Clement Beaune held out the possibility of Britain granting "a few dozen more as a gesture of goodwill," which would mean talks could continue.

"If they stick to their guns, then we will ask the European Commission to begin a legal complaint," Beaune told Franceinfo radio on Friday.

#Pêche | « Boris Johnson se disait qu’il pouvait isoler les Français et diviser les Européens. Il n’a pas réussi, on s’est mobilisé collectivement. » ⁦@franceinfo⁩ ⁦@Marcfauvelle⁩ ⁦@salhiabrakhlia⁩ pic.twitter.com/Ahc8hgla5W

— Clement Beaune (@CBeaune) December 10, 2021

Meanwhile, British Environment Secretary George Eustice held talks with EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius on Friday.

"Intensive technical discussions over recent days have been constructive, however they have not yet reached their conclusion," the UK spokesperson said. 

"Our position remains that vessels must provide sufficient evidence of historic fishing activity in order to receive a licence."

Cross-Channel relations at an all-time low

France and Britain have clashed repeatedly this year over fishing as well as migrants crossing the Channel, post-Brexit trade arrangements, and the sale of submarines to Australia.

French President Emmanuel Macron told a news conference on Thursday: "The problem with the British government is that it does not do what it says," just weeks after he accused British Prime Minister Boris Johnson of not being serious in his approach on tackling migration.

The British government has said it does not recognise Friday as a deadline to resolve the fishing row.

A spokesman for Johnson said Thursday "We've never set a deadline. I recognise they [the EU] themselves have set one but it's not one we're working to."

If France lodges a complaint with the European Commission, it could lead to the start of a formal infringement procedure against Britain. 

• Fishing row 'not over' despite Guernsey granting 40 EU trawler licences
• French minister cites 10 December deadline for UK fishing licence talks

Threat of EU sanctions

If the two sides are unable to resolve their differences, this could see the EU impose financial penalties or even tariffs on British goods if the UK is judged to be reneging on its commitments under the December 2020 post-Brexit trade deal.

The EU and Britain are also locked in a separate trade row over checks on products entering Northern Ireland after the UK government unilaterally postponed the introduction of checks. 

Under the Brexit deal, European fishermen can continue to work in British waters as long as they can prove that they used to fish there. 

France says small boats without GPS data are being penalised while Britain is also refusing to issue licences to new boats that replaced older vessels in the French fishing fleet.

Britain denies the French claims and the European Commission said that officials were studying log books from the French fleet written between 2012-2016 -- before boats were equipped with digital monitors -- to establish evidence that crews have a history in Jersey waters.

The EU says 95 percent of the licences that Britain promised EU boats after Brexit have been granted, and that the remaining ones in doubt are for waters off the Channel Island of Jersey.