The approximately 50 French fishing boats, which since this morning were stationed in the waters of the British island of Jersey, in the English Channel, in protest against the conditions imposed on French fishing after Brexit, are leaving the area. This was communicated by sources of the fishermen’s representatives. The demonstration prompted the British government to send two Royal Navy ships to “monitor the situation”, highlighting the growing tensions on a topic already critical during the Brexit negotiations.
A Defense Department spokesman stressed that it was “a strictly preventive measure, in agreement with the Jersey government.” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson estimated that any potential blockade of Jersey ports by French fishermen “would have been totally unwarranted”, calling for “tensions to be eased.”
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France sends two patrol boats. Beaune: They don’t have to intimidate us
According to Paris last week, the UK published a list of 41 French vessels, out of 344 requests, authorized to fish in Jersey waters, but this list is accompanied by new requirements “which have not been agreed, discussed or notified before” such as part of the agreement. The French Minister of the Sea, Annick Girardin, said France was ready to resort to “retaliatory measures” if the British authorities continue to restrict the access of French fishermen to these waters and mentioned the possible repercussions on the “transmission of electricity via submarine cable »which supplies the island from France. Meanwhile, during the day, France sent two patrol boats near the island of Jersey in response to the two boats mobilized from the United Kingdom. The French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune, told AFP that the British “maneuvers” off Jersey “must not intimidate us”. Specifying that he had spoken to his British counterpart, David Frost, Beaune added: “Our will is not to feed tensions but to have a rapid and complete application of the post-Brexit fisheries agreement”.
EU in London, new fishing conditions do not respect agreements
Meanwhile, Brussels appeals “for calm and moderation”, underlining however that the conditions set by the United Kingdom for the fishing of EU fleets in British waters “do not respect the provisions of the agreement established”. The European Commission indicates this by specifying that until London has clarified the issue “they must not be applied”.