UK ISSUED 48-HOUR NOTICE TO FRANCE OVER FISHING DISPUTE

Mon 01 November 2021:

The United Kingdom has given France 48 hours to back down in a heated dispute over fishing rights, or risk legal action from London under the Brexit trade pact.

On Monday, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Paris had “behaved unfairly” and made “completely unreasonable threats,” as the two sides sparred over the amount of fishing licenses the UK has granted to French vessels wishing to fish in its territorial waters.

If the disagreement is not resolved by Tuesday, France has stated it will take specific steps, including halting UK boats from landing in its ports and intensifying customs checks on British products entering the country.

Truss said she would “absolutely” take legal action in the coming days if France pressed ahead with its threatened sanctions.

“This issue needs to be resolved in the next 48 hours,” she told Sky News. “They need to withdraw those threats or else we will use the mechanisms of our trade agreement with the EU to take action.”

For years, the fishing issue has been a sore point of Brexit negotiations, not because of its economic relevance, but because of its political significance.

Fishing contributes a small amount to the economies of France and the United Kingdom, but it is a lifeline for some coastal villages.

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