During a visit to Brussels on Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 January, the President of the Region of Brittany, Loïg Chesnais-Girard, called on EU leaders to defend the fishing industry in the context of the UK’s exit from the EU.
Loïg Chesnais-Girard met with the Commissioner for Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, to remind him of the fears of the fishing industry in Brittany of losing access to British waters although it makes 50% of its catches there. “This threat is becoming clearer” with the recent decision of the ‘Fisheries’ Council on cod quotas in the Celtic Sea, which “effectively excludes dozens of Breton vessels from an area historically linked to their activity”, explains a press release.
The imminence of Brexit and the short period of negotiations that will begin by 31 December 2020 are creating uncertainty about the future. Loïg Chesnais-Girard urged the Commissioner to have these issues resolved at the beginning of the discussions with London and as part of a global agreement on Brexit. He invited the Commissioner to visit Brittany in 2020.
The President of the Region of Brittany met in Brussels with a delegation of Breton fishermen who have formulated solutions for Celtic Sea cod: temporary closures of targeted fishing areas instead of technical measures that penalise the Bretons. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)