What really happens on fishing between France and the UK
The post-Brexit dialogue on fisheries between France and the UK appears to be becoming increasingly complex. The study of Le Monde
The "new requirements" that London has attached to the issuance of fishing licenses in the Channel Islands and in particular the island of Jersey are "null and void", the French Ministry of the Sea said on Monday.
The post- Brexit dialogue on fisheries between France and the United Kingdom seems to become increasingly complex following the provisions established on Friday by London on fishing areas and the conditions of access to the Channel Islands. "It is believed that if new requirements for maritime zoning or fishing gear are incorporated into the licenses, even if they have not been notified to the European Commission, they are void for us," the Ministry of the Sea said on Monday 3 May.
He recalled his attachment to the "strict compliance with the fisheries agreement" negotiated in the context of Brexit: "If the UK wants to introduce new provisions, it must notify the European Commission, which notifies us, which will allow us to dialogue in following. At this stage, we have discovered these new technical measures which are not as applicable as they are to our fishermen. "
For Jersey waters, writes Le Monde , the UK released on Friday a list of 41 vessels equipped with a “Vessel Monitoring System” – VMS is a device that records the positions of vessels – and authorized to fish since Saturday. This list is accompanied by new requirements "that have not been agreed, discussed or notified previously," the ministry says.
They consist mainly of new fishing grounds, within Jersey's waters – essentially, "where ships can and cannot go." They also specify the "number of days" that fishermen can spend at sea, "and with what equipment," the department said.
The Ministry of the Sea told the European Commission that these new measures were not foreseen: "It is the Commission that is negotiating, so now, we expect it to engage in a discussion with the UK to fully understand what it means and then send us the his clarifications, ”said the same source.
In Brussels, a spokeswoman for the Commission, Vivian Loonela, recalled on Monday evening that "any conditions" must be notified with sufficient notice for the other party to "comment or adapt". "Furthermore, such conditions cannot discriminate against our fishermen," he said, confirming that the Commission will contact the UK authorities on "any specific matter" relating to this.
In response to these announcements, according to police reports, some sixty French fishermen gathered in Cherbourg (Manche) on Monday morning in front of maritime affairs without incident, and then organized a new demonstration of about sixty fishermen in Granville on Monday afternoon.
“It is obvious that there will be responses to the aggression we have suffered from the Jersey authorities in relation to fishing licenses. We hope the state will take retaliatory measures, ”said Dimitri Rogoff, chairman of the Normandy Regional Fisheries Committee. “That Jersey fishermen can no longer land in Granville has been a fact for a long time, since the permits have come in bites and bites, and with the restrictions, it is clear that there is no possibility of them coming to disembark in Granville. ", he added.
The regional fisheries committees of Brittany and Normandy called for "a suspension of all economic relations with Jersey, including the ferry link between Jersey and the mainland," in a joint statement.
(Extract from the press review of Epr)
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/pesca-francia-regno-unito-cosa-succede/ on Sat, 08 May 2021 06:07:15 +0000.