Macron temporarily halts punitive measures against Britain in fisheries dispute

In the dispute over fishing licenses, French President Emmanuel Macron halted the enforcement of sanctions against Great Britain at midnight. Macron on Monday night on the sidelines of the world climate conference in Glasgow referred to ongoing negotiations with the government in London. “We will not impose sanctions while we are negotiating.”

A few hours earlier, Macron’s office had confirmed that the announced punitive measures should take effect at midnight if no progress had been made by then. “The next hours are important hours,” the president said now. “I suppose the British will come to us tomorrow with more proposals.”

A spokeswoman for the EU Commission had previously confirmed that representatives of France, Great Britain and the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey and the EU Commission should meet in Brussels for talks. According to Macron, these talks will now continue on Tuesday. “We will see where we are at the end of the day tomorrow to see if things change in nature,” he added.

Paris and London discuss fishing rights in British territorial waters after the UK’s departure from the EU. Paris accuses the British authorities of granting too few fishing permits to French boats. Therefore, France wanted to control all goods coming from Great Britain from midnight and close its ports to British fishermen.

So far, the British side has referred to the usual administrative procedures. There is nothing to negotiate, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday. London could respond to French sanctions with “retaliatory measures,” Trade Minister Liz Truss said on Monday.

AFP