Macron says ‘ball is in Britain’s court’ in fishing row

By Shweta Desai

PARIS (AA) - French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday that the “ball is in Britain’s court” to de-escalate tensions between the two countries over fishing rights or else France will go ahead with planned sanctions.

Macron’s comments came hours after he held a closed-door meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome.

During a press conference at the end of the summit, Macron said he had submitted a de-escalation proposal to Johnson and hoped that the UK will act on it positively.

“They can’t pretend to not receive the proposal...If the British do not make significant moves, then we will start the sanctions from Nov. 2 because we have no other options,” he said.

Paris has threatened to tighten customs and sanitary control on produce and trucks coming from the UK, banning entry to British trawlers for unloading their cargo at French ports, which is likely to disrupt trade between the two countries.

But shortly after the two leaders met, a Downing Street official speaking with the media in Rome denied reaching any agreements or receiving any proposal.

The French and UK versions of the exchanges during the meeting also differed. Britain has said that its position on the issuing of fishing licenses has not changed while Macron said the two sides have agreed to work on short-term and long-term operational processes to work through the disagreements.

In the wake of Brexit, fishers from the European Union are required to apply for fresh licenses and prove that they have previously fished in those waters in order to be granted them anew.

Paris has claimed that the UK has rejected 40% of license applications from traditional fishers and only issued 103 licenses for the UK 6-12 nautical mile zone, 113 licenses for Jersey and zero for Guernsey.

According to Macron, the dispute arising from fishing licenses may appear “minor and technical” to some but in reality had rendered hundreds of French fishermen and women unemployed. Suddenly because the UK was not respecting the post-Brexit trade agreement, the French government had to tell the fishers that they cannot do their job, he said.

“I don’t wish to escalate tensions and impose retaliatory measures because that won't benefit our fishers...but if there is no movement, France will go ahead,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Junior Minister for European Affairs Clement Beaune said Britain’s denial of licenses to French fishers was a political choice.

Tensions between the two countries escalated after a letter written by French Prime Minister Jean Castex to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to act tough against the UK was leaked this week. The letter, dated Oct. 28, demanded von der Leyen to demonstrate that "leaving the EU is more damaging than remaining in it.”