Paris expects to resolve the issue of post-Brexit fishing quotas imposed by London and intends to use all means to preserve its fishing operations in British waters, a French Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday
PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th May, 2021) Paris expects to resolve the issue of post-Brexit fishing quotas imposed by London and intends to use all means to preserve its fishing operations in British waters, a French Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.
"We want the situation to be resolved soon through the full implementation of the [EU-UK] Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which involves ensuring permanent access to British waters for fishermen who worked in these waters before Brexit. This is our only goal, and we want to use all the levers to preserve the fishery and continue this activity," the spokesperson said, commenting on the French-British dispute off of Jersey island.
The tensions off Jersey, where a flotilla of around 60 French fishing boats protest against the fishing quotas, flared on Wednesday after France reportedly threatened to cut the electrical supply to Jersey, which is located 23 kilometers (14 miles) off the northern French coast and 140 kilometers south of the British coast.
London has deployed two patrol vessels from the Royal Navy to the site to monitor the situation as a "precautionary measure." In response, Paris has also sent its patrol ships to the island.
Fishing rights were one of the sticking points in the negotiations of the post-Brexit trade deal following the UK's exit from the EU in January last year.
Although both parties signed a trade agreement in December, France has been accusing the UK of preventing French fishing boats from operating in the British waters.
