Furious. The French government is threatening unilateral action. It does not yet have the support of other EU member states to go through the dispute settlement mechanism in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement to impose sanctions on the UK. – French fishermen have stated that they have been wrongly denied access to rich fishing grounds off the coast of the British Crown Dependency. Jersey said it was following the post-Brexit rules. “This is lacking in the current agreement, as some fish populations, such as herring in the west of Scotland, whiting in the Irish Sea or cod in the Celtic Sea, will continue to be overexploited in 2022.” For much of the year, British and French ministers exchanged threats and accusations over post-Brexit arrangements for fishing waters. But now the dispute seems to be coming to a head. But M. Barnier must seek permission from EU countries with large fishing fleets (such as France and Spain) before he wants to compromise. Contrary to the tone generally attributed to the dispute with France – and the delicate negotiations on the Northern Ireland Protocol – EU Minister Joze Podgorsek hailed the deal as “thanks to the goodwill and constructive approach of both sides” and as “a good precedent for future negotiations with the UK”.
And others have suggested that the deal does not meet post-Brexit commitments to sustainable fisheries. The Decision establishes fishing rights for around 100 common fish stocks in EU and UK waters, including the total allowable catch (TAC) for each species. A fishing industry expert told The Independent that the deal “largely follows the same pattern” as the first annual deal, which was only reached in June, apparently after months of difficult discussions that have been involved in disputes over how to achieve environmental goals and ensure maximum access for fishermen. However, both sides agreed not to apply catch limits for these species – which include growling, catfish, weever and squid – in the coming year. But because British waters are so large and abundant, the EU is under enormous pressure from its fishing communities to maintain the status quo. The resumption of “control” of British fishing waters has been one of the main reasons for Brexit, with the industry becoming a figurehead for many supporters of the country`s exit from the EU in the 2016 referendum and beyond. ClientEarth expert Jenni Grossmann lamented that Wednesday`s deal “should have been the beginning of a new post-Brexit era of truly sustainable and science-based fisheries management”,” saying that instead of giving endangered fish stocks “a decisive boost to recovery”, ministers “decided to keep them on the brink of the abyss”. – Evidence to secure applications shall include position data showing fishing activity or data recording catches. After two months of discussions, the European Council announced on Wednesday that it had approved an agreement between the EU and the UK for 2022, including TACs for around 65 jointly managed stocks and provisions for overfishing of out-of-quota stocks. This is the second post-Brexit agreement on catch limits. This is what other independent coastal states such as Norway are doing.
And fishing communities in the UK, who have strongly supported the campaign to leave the EU, are insisting on this fundamental change. However, in many coastal communities, fishing is an important source of employment, responsible for thousands of jobs. Industry still has political power, and the UK and the EU are under pressure not to give in. “The agreed goal expressed in the ATT was to restore common fish populations and keep them above healthy levels,” said Vera Coelho, senior advocacy director at the Oceana environmental group. “This is lacking in the current agreement, as some fish populations, such as herring in the west of Scotland, whiting in the Irish Sea or cod in the Celtic Sea, will continue to be overexploited in 2022.” On Wednesday, the French government said it would ban British fishing boats from landing seafood in French ports from next Tuesday if nothing changes. “The flags that have flown over our ships in recent years have had a slogan that says, `Fishing is not a betrayal` and that really expressed our fears. These flags now seem to be both politically astute and forward-looking, because that is what happened. However, he also acknowledged that the EU`s current position on fisheries needs to change. “Thanks to goodwill and a constructive approach on both sides, we have been able to reach an agreement that ensures the security of the future of EU fishermen and women,” said Jože Podgoršek, Slovenian Minister of Agriculture, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency until 1 January. Time is running out, national leaders will soon have to get involved and fisheries will remain one of the most difficult problems that negotiators will have to solve. Britain said on September 28 that it had not issued licences to 35 small vessels – less than 12 metres long – because they had no evidence to support that they had a history of fishing in British waters.
Britain said it had issued licences for 12 of the 47 applications. .