This Fish Spat with France Is Just Another Product of Johnson’s Broken Brexit

THE GUARDIAN: The PM’s push to quit the European single market has proved disastrous for Britain’s standing at the key moment of Cop26

Fishing activity in Douarnenez, Brittany. Photograph: Isa Harsin/SIPA/Rex
As Boris Johnson stumbles from cliche to cliche in Glasgow, a boatload of French fishers are making a fool of him. Posing as a world leader, he pleads that the Earth is “at one minute to midnight”, and should raise its game in the last chance saloon. Yet he cannot stop France’s Emmanuel Macron taunting him over a few boat licences, any more than he can handle the consequences of the Northern Irish protocol, or exert influence over the truce between the European Union and the United States on steel tariffs.

Being outside the EU was meant to display Britain beating its chest across the Channel and round the world, raking in lucrative new trade. Instead at Cop26, China, Russia and India have all found better things to do than listen to Johnson’s tired metaphors amid piles of rain-soaked rubbish.

The fishing dispute with France is complex and unimportant, and 55% of England’s fishing quota is already owned by EU vessels. The row is pure electioneering by Emmanuel Macron. But Britain has no friends in Europe and zero leverage, following the sloppy withdrawal deal reached by Johnson’s belligerent chief negotiator and crony, David Frost. He has now handed Macron an election weapon, a threat to impede all trade through Channel ports. This should be an outrage. » | Simon Jenkins | Monday, November 1, 2021

France Has 48 Hours to Back Down in Fishing Row, Warns Liz Truss

THE GUARDIAN: Foreign secretary says UK will begin dispute talks set out in Brexit deal if threats not withdrawn

Fishing boats moored in the French port of Boulogne. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA
The UK foreign secretary, Liz Truss, has warned France it has 48 hours to back down on threats made in the row over fishing licences or the UK will begin dispute talks set out in the Brexit deal.

French officials have said they will bar UK fishing boats from some ports and tighten customs checks on lorries entering the country unless more licences are granted for their small boats to fish in Britain’s waters.

Almost 1,700 EU vessels have been licensed to fish in UK waters, equating to 98% of EU applications for fishing licences, the UK government says, but this figure is disputed in Paris.

Truss suggested the French president, Emmanuel Macron, may be making “unreasonable threats” because he has a difficult election looming. » | Jamie Grierson | Monday, November 1, 2021

London stellt Paris Ultimatum im Fischereistreit: Ein Vermittlungsgespräch am Rande des G-20-Gipfels in Rom brachte keine Wende im Fischereistreit: Jetzt verlangt Großbritannien eine Lösung innerhalb der nächsten 48 Stunden. »

UK and France Blame Each Other over Fishing Row Stalemate

French President Emmanuel Macron (left) and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) met in Rome on Sunday | REUTERS
BBC: Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron remain at loggerheads in the ongoing dispute over permits for fishing boats.

On Sunday, the leaders met to discuss tensions and the UK government said it was "up to France" to step back from threats over port access.

But Mr Macron said the ball was "in Britain's court" and he hoped there would be a positive response on Monday.

Mr Macron added it was not a bilateral issue for the nations but an EU issue.

The row comes ahead of Tuesday, which is the deadline for more licenses to be granted for French fishing boats to operate in British waters.

Otherwise UK fishing boats could be barred from some ports, French officials have warned.

Following the meeting on Sunday, French officials said the pair had agreed to work on a solution in the "next hours and days".

But later, a spokesman for Mr Johnson said no measures had been agreed. » | BBC | Sunday, October 31, 2021

France to Use ‘Language of Force’ in Post-Brexit Fishing Rights Row

THE GUARDIAN: Comments from French EU affairs minister come as British trawler is detained in France amid dispute

A French gendarmerie patrol boat is moored alongside the seized British trawler Cornelis Gert Jan in Le Havre on Thursday. Photograph: Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters
France’s EU affairs minister, Clément Beaune, has said Paris will “now use the language of force” in an escalation of a row over post-Brexit fishing rights, as French maritime police seized a British trawler found in its territorial waters without a licence.

One vessel had been stopped off Le Havre in the early hours of Thursday morning, after which it was rerouted to the quay and “handed over to the judicial authority”, while a second was given a verbal warning.

In a statement, the French government said the checks during the scallop fishing season had been routine but admitted they were conducted “in the context of the discussion on licences with the United Kingdom and the European Commission”. » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels, Angelique Chrisafis in Paris, Peter Walker and Dan Sabbagh | Thursday, October 28, 2021

Pêche : Paris «ouvert aux discussions» si Londres «respecte ses engagements», déclare Castex : La France a annoncé mercredi des mesures de rétorsion sur les licences de pêche post-Brexit. »

France Accuses UK of Violating Brexit Fishing Deal | DW News

Oct 17, 2021 • The UK and the European Union wrangled for months over a deal that was supposed to regulate their post-Brexit trade relationship. But almost a year after it went into force, the squabbling continues. French fishermen say London's not honoring its side of the bargain by refusing to grant access to its waters - and now Paris is threatening to take action.