It was said in London that those French fishermen could not prove that they had been fishing in the area before, as agreed. But according to Paris, the British violated the agreements: they unexpectedly demanded the GPS data from the boats and small French fishermen have no GPS equipment.
“I was very unlucky,” says fisherman Luc Ramet. “I bought a new boat a while ago. But the British have issued the license for my old boat, because I used to fish with it in British waters. The fisherman who bought that ship from me is very happy: he can fish there. But I am not allowed to enter those British waters with my new boat.”
Various protest actions
In May of this year, French fishermen steamed up to the Channel Island of Jersey for their first protest. The British authorities sent two patrol ships there. Then the French government stepped in. Diplomatic pressure on the British was stepped up, but there was hardly any movement in the matter.
Last month, therefore, was enough for President Macron’s government. The British were given an ultimatum. If they didn’t come up with concessions before November 1, punitive action would follow. France would close six French ports to British fishermen. And the French would intensively check British ships and British trucks at sea and on the road.
As the deadline approached, tensions mounted. The French already detained two British fishermen off the coast of Le Havre and one of them with the Dutch name ‘Cornelis-Gert Jan’ was detained.
Still consultation, no sanctions
Emmanuel Macron and Boris Johnson discussed the issue a week ago at the G20 in Rome. It was then decided to sit around the table again. “And as long as we negotiate, we will not introduce sanctions,” Macron said.
Both parties went to talk, a number of new permits were still issued, but a solution was not found. “We have exchanged our views and our concerns,” British Secretary of State David Frost said last week. “Dialogue is possible but there are still important differences of opinion,” said French Secretary of State Clément Beaune.
It is now unclear how many permits the French still require. Minister Girardin said in parliament she was waiting for 27 permits: 14 from the British and 13 from Jersey. And then there are also temporary permits, which France wants to convert into permanent ones, and there is an unknown number of young French fishermen who have taken over boats from fishermen who used to fish in British waters: London and Paris are also at odds about their fate. .
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