France will implement a slow strategy for customs inspections on shipments bound for Britain before Christmas, as the row over post Brexit fishing rights continues.
Downing Street is preparing to face President Emmanuel Macron in a new confrontation as talks about granting licences to French vessels for fishing in UK waters continue.
According to The Sun the country wants to raise import taxes on British products. However, if the European Union does not support this, it could cause delays at Calais, Dover, and other ports by ordering more physical inspections.
Jean Castex, French prime minister, will reportedly warn UK and EU negotiators they have until midnight Friday to resolve this dispute.
France was upset by Jersey’s refusal of 15 permits to allow small French fishing vessels to operate within British waters. This after 47 applications.
France is preparing to implement a slow strategy for customs checks on shipments bound to Britain ahead of Christmas. This comes amid the continuing row over post Brexit fishing rights. Above: Last year, trucks queuing up to enter Calais port.
The country also stated that it requested 450 fishing permits for UK waters, but was only granted 275.
If the situation isn’t resolved, it will worsen Franco-British relationships, which have been hit recently by Channel migrant crossings, and the Aukus nuclear submarine agreement with Australia and the US.
On Tuesday, Castex will announce a package of mooted retributions that could be implemented as early November 1.
It could mean that energy supplies to the UK are cut off and that Britain’s fishing fleet is prevented from accessing French ports.
Some observers believe that Macron is trying to make political capital from the row in order to win his re-election as French president next year.
French boats were allowed to fish in the 6-to-12 mile zone during the time the UK was within the EU. However, they now have to prove that this was the case. France claims they should maintain the same level access and accuses Britain for violating the Brexit trade deal.
As talks continue over the granting of licences for French vessels to fish within UK waters, Downing Street is preparing itself for a further confrontation with President Emmanuel Macron.
Paris’s maritime minister Annick Girardin is said to have set a November 1 deadline for the dispute to be resolved in a meeting with Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice president leading post-Brexit trade talks, and Virginijus Sinkevicius, the commissioner responsible for fisheries
France claims they should maintain the same access they had before Britain left the EU, and accuses the UK of violating the Brexit trade agreement.
Earlier this month, French fishermen threatened a Channel blockade after the EU refused to back Emmanuel Macron’s demand for tough action against the UK.
Other EU member countries reacted negatively to Mr Macron’s attempts to get them to sign on for immediate retaliation. Instead they agreed to a weaker declaration calling to do more ‘technical work’.
However, the French fleet now warns they are ready for action.
France and Britain were at odds over fishing rights in post-Brexit negotiations. Mr Macron’s impending presidential election puts him under pressure to be tough.
The dispute over licenses prompted both France and Britain, earlier this year, to send patrol vessels off Jersey’s shores. Jersey is a self-governing Crown Dependency.
Britain claims that the majority of vessels were denied access to the area because they failed provide evidence that they fished within the 6-to-12-mile zone in the years prior to the UK’s referendum.
Ian Gorst, Jersey’s Minister for External Relations, said that the island’s government had taken “a pragmatic and reasonable approach” to the issue.
Recent lows in diplomatic relations between the countries are evident. French ministers threatened to cut electricity supply.
Boris Johnson told France last month to ‘prenez un grasp’ and to ‘donnez moi un rupture’ in the row regarding the AUKUS nuclear submarine contract that tore up another French contract.
The country wants to increase import tax on British goods, but if the European Union doesn’t support it, it could cause delays at Calais & Dover by ordering more physical inspections. Above: A French vessel sails past a Dutch fishing boat in the North Sea.
Earlier this month Paris’s noisy European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune lashed out at the UK’s Brexit ‘failures’ and said that France’s trawlermen would not ‘pay the price’ for the UK’s decision to leave.
Beaune was called “le Grinch” for his threat to choke off Christmas supplies to the UK, including electricity.
He pointedly observing that the UK depends on energy exports across the Channel.
“Enough is enough, we have an agreement negotiated France by Michel Barnier and it should be applied 100%. He said that it wasn’t being.
French boats were permitted to fish in the 6-to-12 mile zone during the time the UK was in EU. However, they now have to prove that this was the case. Above: French fishermen protesting the closure of Jersey’s fishing waters earlier this year
“In the next few days, I spoke to my European counterparts yesterday on this topic. We will take measures at either the European or national level to put pressure on the United Kingdom.”
He said, “We defend our interests.” We do it diplomatically and nicely. But when that fails, we take action.
Beaune said that ‘For instance, we can imagine, because we’re talking energy,… The United Kingdom depends upon our energy supplies.’ It thinks it can live by itself, and then bash Europe.