FISHING FEUD: AFTER THREATS, FRANCE OPENS DOOR TO TALKS WITH BRITAIN

Thu 28 October 2021:

France’s prime minister said on Thursday that he was ready for discussions with Britain to end a months-long standoff over fishing access rights, while also urging London to keep its post-Brexit pledges.

“We are always open to talks, morning, noon and night,” Jean Castex said during a visit to the Atlantic coast of Brittany, not far from the contested waters.

Earlier on, in a press conference France’s government spokesman Gabriel Attal said: “Our wish is quite simply that the agreement that was reached is respected… When we sign an agreement, and that was the case in the context of Brexit, the agreement must be respected. Our patience is reaching its limits,”

Attal said from November 2, France could progressively introduce “systematic customs and sanitary controls” on goods coming across the Channel, including a ban on unloading seafood at ports and checks on trucks, which could slow down trade.

He added that other measures related to electricity supplies to the islands of Jersey and Guernsey could be issued in the weeks after.

The British government branded the moves “disappointing” and “disproportionate”.

“The threats from France are disappointing and disproportionate, and do not correspond to what one would expect from a close ally and partner,” said a government spokesperson.

During checks on Wednesday, French police penalized two British scalloping boats, with one being detained at Le Havre.

FILE PHOTO: Fishing vessels protest off the coast of Jersey.

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