This is a criticized ad. The Minister of the Sea, Annick Girardin, announced Thursday, November 18, the preparation of a “fleet exit plan” to compensate fishermen whose vessels do not obtain a license from the British authorities and therefore could not continue their activity in British waters. A statement perceived by those first concerned as an admission of failure against the British. Franceinfo tells you more about this plan and the context in which it operates.
1What is happening between France and the United Kingdom around fishing?
The Brexit agreement, concluded in extremis at the end of 2020 between London and Brussels, provides that European fishermen can continue to work in certain British waters, if they prove that they were fishing there before. An important provision for French fishermen, since thAbout a quarter of French catches (excluding the Mediterranean) in volume (around 20% in value) come from British waters, which are rich in fish.
For this, however, they must apply for new licenses in London. But the French and the British argue over the nature and extent of the supporting documents to be provided, in particular for small vessels without a tracking system or for new vessels which have replaced an older vessel.
France accuses the United Kingdom of granting its fishermen too few licenses, around 900. At the heart of their dispute: some 150 additional boats fishing in the waters of Jersey and Guernsey, close to the French coast. For lack of progress, Paris threatened to ban British fishing vessels to unload their cargo in French ports and to strengthen customs controls on all trucks. These threats of reprisals are judged “disproportionate” by London which, rare, announced at the end of October that it would summon the French ambassador to London. Emmanuel Macron To ultimately decided to give again “a chance” discussions, which are therefore still continuing, despite a deadline set for November 1.
2What does this compensation plan consist of?
Faced with the difficulties to obtain fishing rights, the Minister of the Sea, Annick Girardin, assured, Thursday, that “fleet exit plans” were in preparation to compensate fishermen whose vessels do not obtain a license and would ultimately remain at the dock. She clarified that“an envelope of 40 to 60 million euros” could “to be put on the table”. “This is visibility you need. So I’ll be frank with you, we need to prepare for these losses.”, declared the minister to the fishermen gathered at the Assises de la Pêche, in Saint-Pol-de-Léon (Finistère).
If this announcement could suggest that it was a novelty, it actually provides a clarification about a support system for fishermen already provided for in the agreement. on the Brexit. This plan is “a European tool”, from which all fishing boats flying the flag of one of the countries of the European Union can benefit, the minister recalled on France Inter on Friday. The planned envelope would thus come from European funds intended to support the consequences of Brexit.
3How was it received by the fishermen?
The proposal of the Minister of the Sea has thrown a chill among fishermen. “The defeat was predictable (…). It’s a fiasco”, reacted Pascal Delacour, boss of a trawler from Granville (Manche), opposite Jersey. “France has lowered its pants and abandoned its young sailors because it is above all they who do not have licenses”. “The government is lowering its flag after promising retaliatory measures”, also criticizes the president of the Hauts-de-France regional fisheries committee, Olivier Leprêtre.
“France has shown a bit of renunciation”, also regrets on franceinfo Dimitri Rogoff, the president of the regional fisheries committee of Normandy. “The fishermen did not ask for anything. They are victims of a bilateral situation between the European Union and the United Kingdom. We must support them other than by breaking their fishing capacity”, also have estimated on franceinfo Frederic Cuvillier, mayor of Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais) and former Minister of the Sea.
Faced with criticism, the Minister of the Sea retorts that “that does not mean that we capitulate, but simply that[elle] continues to stand by everyone’s side “. “We will fight to the end for the allocation of the 150 missing fishing licenses”, she hammered on France Inter.