France will continue to fight UK, Macron says about fishing row

By Shweta Desai

PARIS (AA) - French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday France that his country will not abandon its fishermen in the fight to get licenses even as Britain continues to “play with our nerves.”

Macron told reporters that in recent talks with the UK, progress was made on licenses. Fishermen from Hauts-de-France, Brittany and Normandy have received new licenses and they have resumed fishing in UK waters, he said.

Later, Macron posted a video of his talk on Twitter from a gathering in Sambre-Avesnois, captioned, "I will never let go of our fishermen."

Macron said he opposed the trade agreement because of discrepancies on the fishing clause from the beginning and warned that fishermen will become the face of Brexit once the accord takes effect.

The two countries are entangled in a dispute about fishing licenses under the post-Brexit Trade and Cooperation agreement.

According to the accord signed between the UK and the EU, fishermen from the EU are required to apply for new licenses and prove they have previously fished in those waters.

French officials claim the UK has rejected more than 40% of applications of its fishermen, due to “political” reasons, thus preventing them from fishing in the waters of the Channel Sea.

He said during their Rome meeting, he clearly told UK’s premier Boris Johnson that Britain was not respecting the agreement and France will not wait until Christmas for Britain to make some movement on the demand for the licenses. "We want them to grant of the licenses soon."

Earlier France threatened retributive measures, including increased customs check on goods and trucks coming from the UK and prohibiting fishing trawlers from unloading on French ports if Britain failed to issue new licenses.

Macron refused to go back to the talks and resolve the dispute bilaterally with the UK, saying it was a “European problem,” as it also concerns licenses of boats from Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark and Germany.

He reiterated that France was waiting for the European Commission to respond to the breach of the agreement and take action against the UK.

“France will not yield anything. We are waiting for the European Commission to play its role and to defend the interest of Europe as well as France,” he added.