In a disagreement over access to fishing grounds after Brexit, France arrested British trawler fishing in its territorial seas without a license on Thursday and issued a warning to a second vessel.
France announced retaliatory measures on Wednesday in response to Britain’s refusal to provide its fishermen the full number of licenses to operate inside British waters that France claims is required.
The French government announced on Nov. 2 that it will impose further customs inspections on British goods entering the country, raising the potential of more economic misery for Britain before Christmas, which is grappling with labor shortages and rising energy prices.
Relations between London and Paris have deteriorated since the United Kingdom left the European Union’s economic orbit at the start of the year.
The United Kingdom and the Channel Island of Jersey refused hundreds of French fishing vessels authorization to operate in their territorial seas last month, prompting outrage in France. The limits, according to France, are in violation of the post-Brexit deal agreed by the British government when it left the EU.
Following weeks of negotiations, British officials have awarded more fishing licenses, but only half of what France believes it is “entitled to,” according to French government spokesperson Gabriel Attal.
If no agreement is reached by Nov. 2, the French ministers for Europe and maritime affairs said in a joint statement that France will ban British fishing boats from designated ports and tighten customs, security, and other controls on any British boats and trucks traveling between France and the United Kingdom.
France also stated that it “doesn’t rule out” taking actions in the coming weeks to target Britain’s energy supplies. Attal clarified that he was referring to the Channel Islands, which are closer to French coasts than British shores and rely largely on electricity from the French system.
“We worked with the British and provided them with all of the needed data, documents, and facts to support these (licensing) demands,” Attal explained. “Today, our patience has reached its limit.”
Britain claims to have approved 98 percent of European vessel fishing license applications; however, there is a dispute about 31 vessels that the UK claims did not provide evidence to back their applications.
Jersey is a British Crown dependent outside of the United Kingdom, located 14 miles (22 kilometers) off the coast of France. As a result, it has authority over who is permitted to fish in its territorial waters. It has given licenses based on its interpretation of the UK-EU trade agreement, and France has been accused of acting excessively.
