Cindi Cook
31 October 2021•Update: 01 November 2021
PARIS
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met on Sunday to discuss the hot-button issue of fishing rights in the English Channel that has plagued the two countries over the past few weeks.
The 30-minute meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome had the two leaders vowing that “practical and operational measures are taken as quickly as possible to avoid a rise in tension” and that they would bring forth a “de-escalation” in the situation, according to a statement by the Elysee Palace.
The leaders promised to address the issue in “the very next few days.”
At the heart of the issue is France’s objection to the UK’s recent rejecting dozens of licenses for French fisherman to fish in the territorial waters -- those 6 to 12 nautical miles off England’s coast -- as well as those closer to Jersey, both of which are the most bountiful.
EU fishermen wanting to fish there had to apply for new licenses, but prove they had previously worked in the waters as well.
An official statement put out by Downing Street said that Johnson had “reiterated his deep concern over the rhetoric emanating from the French government in recent days, including the suggestion by the French prime minister that the UK should be punished for leaving the EU.”
The statement went on to say that the British premier hoped that the French government would de-escalate this rhetoric and withdraw its threats.
According to French news outlet franceinfo, Johnson is holding firm.
“Our position has not changed,” said a spokesman for the prime minister. “If the French government wants to come forward with proposals for a de-escalation of the threats they have formulated, they will be welcome.”
The issue had reached a stalemate Wednesday when France said it would disrupt trade as well as increase customs checks starting Nov. 2 if the UK continued to withhold the granting of licenses to more French fishermen.
Possible new protocols would include systematic customs and sanitary checks on products brought to France and a ban on landing seafood.
The fish industry accounts for only 0.5% of the UK economy.
This past week’s row was only the latest the two powers have had in the past few months, with their relationship souring.
France has insisted that Britain has not adhered to the agreement signed during Brexit over the rights to fish in the waters. The latest figures from the beginning of October show that for the territorial waters, London has issued 100 licenses to French boats while rejecting 75, and in Jersey, 111 permanent licenses and 31 provisional licenses have been issued, with 75 boats being rejected.
Britain has granted 1,700 licenses to French boats to fish in their exclusive economic zone, or the waters 12-200 miles off the English coast. Although self-governing, the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey are dependent on London for navigation in the areas of foreign affairs and defense.
For his part, France’s President Macron said on Sunday that Johnson needs to “respect commitments” taken by the UK and EU as part of Brexit.
“We made precise demands regarding licenses to be granted to a precise number of ships,” an official imparted on behalf of the president. “We expect them to respect the rules of the game.”
