On Monday 19 May, the European Commissioner for Fisheries, Costas Kadis, welcomed the “historic” agreement reached between the European Union and the United Kingdom, “ensuring reciprocal access to waters until 2038” (see EUROPE 13643/1 and other news).
The European Union has been strengthened by this agreement, which gives fishers a further twelve years’ access to British waters. For their part, British fishers are said to have preferred maintaining annual negotiations, in the hope of recovering more catch volumes.
French minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher said that the agreement “will bring economic and political visibility to the French fishing industry”.
For the European organisation Europêche, the agreement “signals a shared intent to promote predictability, mutual benefit and closer collaboration in the management of shared marine resources”.
The new agreement, which replaces the current arrangements due to expire in June 2026, “will provide much-needed certainty for European fishing communities that depend on access to British waters”, according to Europêche. In return, the EU and the UK have agreed measures to reduce trade friction, notably by simplifying sanitary and phytosanitary rules and controls.
The British disappointed. This extension will guarantee the stability and safety of British crews “without increasing the quantity of fish that European vessels can catch in British waters”, assured Downing Street. Criticism was quick to follow. The fisheries sector “seems to have been abandoned” by London, denounced the Scottish First Minister, John Swinney. The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation described the agreement as a “horror film”.
The National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations said it was “very disappointed”, claiming that the deal “surrenders the best prospect that the fishing industry and coastal communities had for growth over the coming decade”.
Downing Street stresses, however, that British industry will benefit greatly from the agreement, which will notably allow certain food products - including shellfish - to be exported to the EU for the first time since Brexit.
Under the current agreement, 25% of EU fishing rights in UK waters will be gradually transferred to UK fleets between 2021 and 2026. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)