London threatens to strengthen inspections of European fishing vessels

London on Friday threatened to step up inspections of European fishing vessels in British waters in response to retaliatory measures announced by France in the midst of a row over post-Brexit fishing licenses.

A British government spokesman said in a statement that the latter "intends to launch a dispute resolution mechanism provided for in the post-Brexit trade agreement", which includes "carrying out thorough inspections of the EU's fishing activities in the territorial waters of the United Kingdom."

Paris and London accuse each other of violating the post-Brexit trade agreement, which was reached at the end of last year, in terms of fishing licenses in British waters.

France blames Britain for granting a limited number of these licenses to its ships, and has threatened to take retaliatory measures as of next Tuesday, tighten controls and prevent British ships from docking at French ports.

In this atmosphere, French President Emmanuel Macron will meet British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the end of the week in Rome on the sidelines of the Group of Twenty summit, according to Downing Street.

London summoned the French ambassador, Catherine Colonna, on Friday afternoon, to meet the British Minister of State in charge of Europe, Wendy Morton.

The London warning was passed on by British Secretary of State in charge of Brexit David Frost to European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic.

The two men met Friday in London and reviewed the progress of negotiations on another hotspot between London and Brussels, the protocol for post-Brexit customs procedures in relation to Northern Ireland, which remains in the single market and the European Customs Union.

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