“It can be unlocked quickly” for fishermen, according to the mayor of Calais

Since midnight this Friday, January 1, the United Kingdom is no longer part of the European Union, which will be a real change for some cities in northern France along the Channel, such as Calais. “I think it is a failure to turn back after 47 years of construction, of exchanges “, confides on RTL Natacha Bouchart, the mayor of the city.

There was nevertheless a relief that an agreement was reached between the British and Brussels on market access, after several years of negotiations and the real threat of a “no deal”. “We are ready, the port is ready, the tunnel is ready”, assures Natacha Bouchart. It was thus necessary to set up in particular structures for customs and veterinary controls of 7,000 trucks who pass through Calais every day.

But vigilance is required, according to Natacha Bouchart, because concerns remain. Indeed, wine and chocolate traders work a lot with British customers, and fear a drop in turnover. “I can reassure them in the sense that today, of the elements that are reported to us, there will be no no change on the quotas of cigarettes, alcohol, that’s already reassuring “, indicates the elected.

For the attractiveness “of all the players in the United Kingdom who come to Calais in particular, they must be reassured to have this return of duty-free shops”. Regarding fishermen, Natacha Bouchart asks that French fishermen can very quickly return to “fish in the space of 6 to 12 miles”. “For me, I think it can be unlocked quite quickly“, she reassures. This was a crucial point of the agreement between London and Brussels.