‘We won’t give in’ says French Maritime Minister as the fishing licence war lingers on
France’s Maritime Minister Annick Girardin said this evening that although France has received over 80 additional post-Brexit fishing licences, the fight with Britain continues.
“We won’t give in”, Girardin said in a tweet.
The French minister for European affairs earlier this week said in an interview that France would still need “a few dozen” fishing licences to settle the conflict with London.
It comes after the UK reportedly denied France its remaining 104 fishing licences last week, as it demands French fishermen prove they have previously used local waters.
The dispute over the remaining licences, which form part of the final Brexit Agreement, has eroded the UK’s relationship with its closest European neighbour.
More than 100 boats have been unable to prove their historic fishing activity, which has left several small fisheries in the lurch.
“We have obtained 1,004 licences. We are still waiting for 104… This is not anecdotal, it is crucial: these are fishermen, families. One job at sea means four jobs on land,” French maritime minister Annick Giradin has previously said.
Whilst a deal is yet to be made, an agreement on ‘direct replacement vessels’, if completed, would allow French fishermen to transfer their historic fishing rights to new boats.