By wanting to impose new conditions on French sailors who come to fish in British waters, London on Friday left the framework set by the Brexit agreement.

The European Union has started discussions to resolve the situation, but the electoral context, both across the Channel and in France, is not helping to calm tensions. 

The issue of fishing in UK waters was thought to be settled in the Brexit deal reached late last year.

At least it was.

But the British do not respect what they signed now says the European Union.

Of course, as expected, they did grant licenses to French boats to be able to fish in their waters from May 1, the deadline for the transition period.

But only 41 vessels out of 344 requests were granted this authorization.

Above all, on April 30, at the very last minute, London wrote to Brussels to add conditions that were not foreseen: on the number of days at sea or on the type of fishing gear authorized.

Naval face-to-face off the coast of Jersey

On Thursday, around sixty French fishing boats gathered near the island of Jersey to denounce the restrictions imposed across the Channel. But very quickly, the protest turned to a naval face-to-face: two British warships were dispatched to the site, and for its part, France responded by sending two patrol boats.

Later in the day, the Norman fishermen had the right to return to the triumphal port, to the applause of about twenty inhabitants. "It was just to make a splash and make them understand that we also need to work. We are not here to wage war," explains to Europe 1 Michel Duchemin, who spent long Thursday hours in front of the island of Jersey. For these fishermen, British waters rich in fish sometimes represent more than half of their turnover. These new restrictions are therefore unacceptable for Camille Lécureuil, also a fisherman: "I have the right to do whelks in English waters, but not crustacean traps. It's political, all that", lash out. he. 

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A political context that complicates discussions

This sudden resurgence of tensions betrays the difficulty of the discussions that have taken place in high places around this thorny issue. Officially, it is up to Europe to manage this conflict, not to France, because it is she who signed the Brexit treaty. At this stage, the European Commission is trying to find an amicable solution. "The electoral context in France and the United Kingdom does not help," blows a specialist. And yet, we have to keep our nerves strong, because there are other points to settle with London. The fishing quotas for this year, in particular, are still not definitively fixed. A diplomat summarizes: "This is the first year, each camp tries to mark its territory."  

"Boris Johnson is in a difficult situation politically, because the Brexit agreement for sinners is seen as a loser on the British side. So he is instrumentalizing the situation to show that he is defending British interests", analyzes with Europe 1 the MEP Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, vice-president of the international trade committee. It evokes a form of "populist sovereignty", and ensures that French sailors have the full support of members of the European Parliament. "But we have to find a solution because we cannot go into escalation," she adds. On the French side, the Minister of the Sea Annick Girardin has already hinted that the government could cut the electricity that supplies the island of Jersey by submarine cable.