France imposed sanctions on two British fishing boats that were fishing off the French coast in Le Havre. The authorities took one of the boats to the port Send coastal cityThey are chained there. The other was fined for not allowing the French authorities to board the plane.
According to the French authorities, British ships are not licensed to fish in French waters due to Britain’s exit from the European Union. The captain risks legal action and the fish caught may be confiscated.
Extension
Tensions around the fishing waters are still rising. Yesterday, France published a list of sanctions that could come into effect from November 2. France has announced that all British products arriving by land will be systematically checked by customs.
The French Minister of Maritime Affairs also announced that the British were gradually no longer welcome in six ports where they now disembark their catch fish. The minister told French radio station RTL that this measure will be implemented unless the British withdraw before next Tuesday.
Jersey in Guernsey
London and Paris have been arguing over fishing licenses for the French since the UK left the European Union, particularly over the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey. In the Brexit agreement, it was agreed that European fishermen would obtain licenses to fish in an area of six to twelve nautical miles off the British coast.
The French believe that the UK issues too few permits to allow the French to fish in British waters. The British are thus violating the agreements made with the European Union before the entry into force of Britain’s exit from the European Union. But according to the British government, smaller fishing vessels cannot prove that they are also fishing in British waters before Brexit.
