Post-Brexit agreement: fishing, a blocking line in negotiations
On board a French fishing vessel off the North Sea.
December 8, 2020 (Illustration).
REUTERS - PASCAL ROSSIGNOL
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
Brexit discussions are still ongoing despite the continental blockade imposed by the Europeans since the appearance of the new variant of Covid-19 in England.
The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen once again spoke on the phone on Monday 21, and Michel Barnier says he is ready for his part to negotiate as long as he can. It will then be necessary that it is only on fishing that the negotiations concentrate.
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With our correspondent in Brussels
,
Pierre Benazet
Fishing remains the only stumbling block for Brexit because on the two other complicated files, there would now only be a few legal smoothing out.
On the conditions of fair competition, the principle of ad hoc measures is acquired, measures which will compensate for future differences.
On the settlement of disputes, the EU and the United Kingdom secretly claim to have succeeded in overcoming their frontal opposition to the involvement of the European Court of Justice.
But for fishing nothing is going well.
The latest British proposal was swept away with the back of the hand by Michel Barnier, who was instructed by the 27 capitals not to give up;
the Europeans felt they had already been generous enough in their proposal.
It foresaw after six years the possibility of a reduction in European catches in British waters.
The British evoked 60% after three years which is “
totally unacceptable
” according to Michel Barnier.
The European negotiator says the door to the EU will remain open until the end of the year and beyond.
For Europeans, it would now be possible to apply a possible agreement on a transitional basis from January 1, even if it means waiting for a posteriori ratification in the Municipalities and the European Parliament.
►To listen: The no-deal Brexit is becoming more and more a reality
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Brexit
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