Paris (AFP)
Paris threatens to "cut" its electricity deliveries to Jersey due to post-Brexit fishing crisis, but not to "cut power" to its residents, French Secretary of State for European Affairs said on Friday .
"Reducing deliveries (of electricity to Jersey) is possible, cutting off the power to each inhabitant of Jersey this winter, that will not happen," said Clément Beaune on the BFMTV channel.
The agreement obtained by the EU negotiator, Michel Barnier, on Brexit provides for an "energy export agreement", he noted.
"So we can regulate the flow. I don't want us to come to that. This is one of the political possibilities."
The post-Brexit agreement, reached in extremis at the end of last year between London and Brussels, provides that European fishermen can continue to work in certain British waters on condition that they obtain a license, granted if they can prove that they fished there before.
The Channel Island of Jersey announced on September 29 the granting of 64 definitive licenses to French boats (against 169 requested by Paris) and the rejection of 75 applications.
The day before, London had granted 12 additional authorizations in its waters, within the limit of 6 to 12 nautical miles from its coasts (against 87 requested).
"We have requested a little more than 450 licenses in total (...). We will hold out on the 450", hammered the French Secretary of State.
More broadly, "we will take targeted retaliatory measures" against the United Kingdom if London "continues not to apply the agreement" on Brexit, he added, without specifying whether he was talking about France alone. or Europeans.
"The British need us (Europeans) to sell their products, including fisheries. They need us for their energy, for their financial services, for their research centers," noted the Secretary of State.
"On all this we have retaliatory measures, cooperation measures that we can modulate, reduce if the British continue not to apply the agreement," he said.
"If the British do not live up to their share, we will not do 100% of our share."
Paris has once again criticized the United Kingdom for wanting to hide the post-Brexit difficulties it is facing by seeking "conflict" with the Europeans.
"They missed Brexit, it is their choice and it is their failure, it is not ours," said Clément Beaune.
"It is not by beating our fishermen, by threatening us every day, by being bad players and by creating annoyances or problems for the Europeans, the French, and our fishermen in particular, that you will solve turkey shortages. at Christmas, "he said.
© 2021 AFP