French government announces retaliatory measures against Britain to defend its fishermen
October 28, 2021, 11:10 am

French government announces retaliatory measures against Britain to defend its fishermen

Boats-Fishing/Pixabay

The Xinhua reported according to French local media, French government spokesperson Gabriel Attal has announced a list of retaliatory measures, preparing France for a potential trade war with Britain following the conflicts between the fishermen of the two countries.

A joint press release from the French Ministry of the Sea and the Secretariat for European Affairs quoted by newspaper Le Figaro explained the measures taken.

According to the Xinhua, from Nov. 2, British fishing vessels will be banned to dock in designated ports. This involves six French ports in Hauts-de-France, Normandy and Brittany. France will also strengthen sanitary, customs and safety controls of British ships.

Furthermore, France will also enhance controls over all lorries from and to Britain.

France-South France-Mediterranean/Pixabay

The spokesperson warned on Wednesday that France would take a possible "second series of measures," including actions relating to the supply of electricity for the Channel Islands, which could result in cutting the power supply or tariff increases.

"Our patience has limits," Gabriel Attal said, stressing that "we will not let Britain wipe its feet on the Brexit deals."

According to him, nearly half of the license applications made by French fishermen have still not been granted, despite the provision of documents requested by the British authorities. This concerns small boats fishing in the coastal area 6 to 12 miles off Britain and the Channel Islands.

Under the Brexit trade deal reached at the end of 2020, European fishermen can continue to operate in British waters provided they can prove that they previously fished there. The meticulous study of these files by the English authorities led to the rejection of a large number of them. An attitude which caused the fury of France.

This Thursday, the French Ministry of the Sea announced that two British fishing vessels were fined by the French maritime gendarmerie during checks on Wednesday, and one was diverted to the port of Le Havre.

The ministry added, these controls, customary "during the scallop fishing season," are also "part of the tightening of controls in the Channel, in the context of discussions on licenses with the United Kingdom and the European Commission."

Source: xinhua

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.