While the French government still blames the English for not having granted enough fishing licenses, the British Secretary of State in charge of Brexit is in Paris Thursday, November 4 for discussions before a meeting Friday in Brussels at the European Commission. Clearly, the standoff continues and it is done to the detriment of French fishermen, according to MEP National Rally Nicolas Bay. “The British make 90% of their exports of their fishery on the European market and they have been given the possibility of accessing it without tariffs or quotas. They finally have all the advantages without the disadvantages”, he declared on franceinfo.
Nicolas Bay is exaggerating a bit but it is quite true. The United Kingdom exports a lot of its seafood products. According to the latest official figures from London, 75% of British fishing was exported to the European Union in 2020. France is also the first customer for many years. many years. For example last year, we received a little over 30% of what the English fishermen put back in their boat. It is largely salmon, but also to a lesser extent mackerel, pollack or langoustines. Conversely, France exports little, according to data from FranceAgrimer. The UK is only our 7th customer, far behind Spain and Italy, for seafood.
Nicolas Bay also claims that English fishermen have access to the European market without customs duties. It’s true … today. The agreement signed between the United Kingdom and the European Union guarantees trade without customs duties. The fact remains that the United Kingdom has nevertheless left the internal market, that there is now a border and therefore more free movement of goods. Since last December 31, all exchanges must be declared.
On the other hand, if the United Kingdom limits access to its fishing zones, as France accuses it at the moment, Brussels can impose customs duties, on fish in particular. Clearly, if there are no customs duties today, that does not mean that there may not be one day.