Communication is not completely broken between France and the UK over post-Brexit fishing licenses. The British government has indeed announced at the end of a bilateral meeting Thursday November 4 that the discussions between London and Paris will continue the week of November 8.
Since Brexit, France and the United Kingdom have opposed the number of fishing licenses granted by London to French fishermen. “The British are afraid that France has a very hard position”, estimated on franceinfo Patrick Martin-Genier, professor at Sciences-Po, specialist in European issues, international relations and public affairs.
franceinfo: Why is France banging its fist on the table so much?
Patrick Martin-Genier: Because the survival of several dozen fishing families depends on it, especially the artisans in Normandy and Brittany. The French government wants to show that it is very firm in supporting French fishermen in this dispute while the United Kingdom is also very firm and does not wish to grant more licenses. This is symbolic because, while it doesn’t represent much in terms of GDP, both in the UK and in France, it has become politically extremely sensitive in both countries, beyond the economic impact. There is a political dimension since many fishermen live in Hauts-de-France, whose regional council is chaired by Xavier Bertrand, Les Républicains presidential candidate. There is therefore a significant political impact and the President of the Republic does not want people to say that he has abandoned fishermen.
Is this a new diplomatic crisis after that of the submarines?
There are a lot of conflicts with the UK and the fishery is one of them. There is, you said, the submarine affair but also the Northern Ireland protocol that the British no longer want to apply. The British are afraid that France will have a very hard position insofar as we will assume the French presidency of the European Union from January 1, 2022. There is therefore a series of disputes and the fishing is only getting worse. its relations with the United Kingdom.
Why is the UK so on edge?
The country is in a difficult situation following Brexit: there is a shortage of manpower, especially of truck drivers, with lorries left behind. At the same time, the watchword of British policy is to regain control of its borders and therefore to control immigration. There is currently a bill to severely penalize refugees who cross the Channel irregularly, with penalties of up to four years in prison. France is accused of not taking control of migration from Europe to the United Kingdom while Paris has applied the Touquet agreements. It was agreed this summer that the UK will pay 63 million euros to help France and he did not. The UK is in a position of denial, it no longer even keeps its word. They are on track to block many things related to the European Union. The country will not be a loyal post-Brexit partner in its relations with the European Union.