The European Commissioner for Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, said on Friday 8 October that he had had a telephone call with the UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, George Eustice, over the issue of the number of licences granted by the UK to French vessels for fishing in UK waters (see EUROPE 12806/10).
“Our teams will continue examining the evidence boat by boat for a solution for fishers guaranteeing that all who qualify under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) terms will receive their licence swiftly. We will assess progress next week”, said the Commissioner.
Annick Girardin, the French Minister for the Sea, will raise the issue of British licences at the Agriculture-Fisheries Council to be held on 11–12 October in Luxembourg (see EUROPE 12807/8).
France is contesting the number of licences granted by the UK to French vessels. In the still disputed fishing areas (6–12 miles off the British coast and the Channel Islands), London and Jersey have granted just over 200 definitive licences, while Paris is still claiming there should be several hundred.
France threatened on Friday to “reduce” its electricity supplies to Jersey as a retaliatory measure. “Reducing deliveries (of electricity to Jersey) is possible, but cutting off power to every resident of Jersey this winter will not happen”, said French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune, on BFMTV. The day before, Jersey’s Foreign Minister Ian Gorst denounced France’s “unacceptable” and “disproportionate” threats, when France had suggested that it might cut off power to the Channel Island. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)