It could be a decisive meeting on the conflict between France and the United Kingdom on the subject of fishing. Brexit Minister David Frost meets Clément Beaune, Secretary of State for European Affairs, Thursday, November 4 in Paris. France hopes to obtain more fishing licenses for its vessels in British waters.
>> Post-Brexit fishing licenses: we explain the new pass of arms between France and the United Kingdom
Pending this meeting, France has suspended retaliatory measures for the Kingdom’s fishermen. In Ramsgate, a port in the south-east of England, the fishermen interviewed shake their heads in disgust when it comes to the meeting of the day, France or even Brexit. Yet here, almost all of them voted to leave Europe. This is the case of John Nicholls, the president of the local fishing association, who has had a bad time in the political games of recent days.
“We are not here to have fun. We too can be hotheads if we want. Macron is lagging behind in the presidential polls, so he wants to make a fuss at all costs.”
John Nicholls, President of the Local Fishing Associationto franceinfo
John Nicholls is after France but he is also disappointed with his own government. Leaving Europe, he hoped to regain the splendor of yesteryear, when about thirty trawlers returned filled with sole and sea bass. Leaning on a railing on the port, Tony, who knew this time, observes mainly pleasure boats now, against only a dozen fishing boats. “When I was a kid, there were plenty of them here, sighs the fisherman. Thanks to Brexit, our fishermen should be able to do as they want. They would have enough to work on. The French no longer need to come here. Certainly not.” Here the fishermen will not follow the meeting of the day. They have, he says, better things to do: they will be at sea.
On the ground the British fishermen seem dejected, no longer trusting anyone in this matter. On the government side, the British line is still the same: “We followed the rules of the exit agreement from Europe to the letter. We granted fishing licenses when the necessary documents were presented.” And finally: “France must lift its threats.” Moreover, when Emmanuel Macron postponed the entry into force of retaliatory measures, they saw it as a small victory, presented as a setback for France in a case where pride takes an important place.
Here at least for the facade speech: since the negotiations continue, undoubtedly that behind the scenes, the emissaries of the Johnson government are more accommodating. If no agreement is found, Paris will say no to British fishermen, who will not be able to unload their cargo in France, their biggest customer, 28% of turnover. The United Kingdom, meanwhile, is threatening to tighten controls on French boats.