“Our fishermen will not stay at the quayside on January 2.” This Friday, the presidents of the regions of Brittany and Normandy, Loïg Chesnais-Girard and Hervé Morin, joined forces to welcome the agreement on fisheries in the post-Brexit trade treaty between the European Union and the United Kingdom. United. Among the sticking points, this sector was a major issue for certain Member States, in particular France, where 30% of the catches are made in British waters.
The main lines of this agreement, which will enter into force on 1is January, provide in particular to ensure these countries access to British waters for a transitional period of five and a half years. At the same time, the British will be able to unload their products on the coasts of France, where they make 80% of their sales. “A relief” for Loïg Chesnais-Girard (Brittany) and Hervé Morin (Normandy), who consider in their press release that “The interests of fishermen are preserved”. “The risk was to lose everything”, underlined the Director General of the National Committee for Maritime Fisheries and Marine Farming (CNPMEM), Jean-Luc Hall, on France Info this Friday. Indeed, an absence of agreement, the famous «no deal», would have had serious consequences for fishing in Europe.
“A basis for reciprocal access to water and resources”
If the sector can now breathe for the next few years, the conditions of the treaty concluded on Thursday still cause concern among European fishermen who will eventually have to give up part of their earnings. Indeed, at the end of this transitional period, in June 2026, the fishermen of the member countries will have to return 25% of their catches to the United Kingdom, the amount of which amounts to 650 million euros each year. The conditions of access to 6-12 nautical miles off the British coast by European fishermen will then be renegotiated annually. For Jean-Luc Hall, “The smallest structures are in danger”. “It is obvious that for some companies, the loss of turnover is likely to be too substantial”, declared the director of the CNPMEM.
Vessel Thomas Nicholas II in front of a Dutch trawler in the North Sea on December 7. Photo Pascal Rossignol. Reuters
For his part, the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, is trying to reassure European fishermen and fishmongers. He insisted on Thursday, during a press conference, on the insurance of“A basis for reciprocal access to water and resources, with a new distribution of quotas and fishing opportunities”. Fishermen, however, remain on their guard in the face of the gray areas that remain around these new quotas. “It is important for professionals to know what they are going to be allowed to fish because some species are caught seasonally”, said Jean-Luc Hall on France Info, also evoking the urgency for professionals to establish their “Fishing plan” for the next year. The negotiations which will define the contours of these future distributions will begin on 1is January with the United Kingdom.
Up to 30,000 euros in state aid
Regarding reciprocity, “We will have to see under what conditions British fishermen will have access to French territorial waters, so that the resource outside quotas (such as the scallop) is preserved», say the presidents of Brittany and Normandy in their press release. To reduce the harmful effects of this amicable divorce, the Ministry of the Sea has announced a “Support plan”, which will be presented this Sunday. “Fishermen and wholesalers will be able to benefit from a flat-rate aid of up to 30,000 euros depending on their dependence on products caught in British waters”Minister Annick Girardin said in a statement.
The plan also provides for offsetting over a limited period of part of the revenue losses of companies whose activity is concentrated around the British coasts. The government has mentioned the extension of long-term partial activity for employees of companies who will suffer. In addition, the recovery plan and the future European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) provide for investment aid. Among the controversial subjects of these negotiations, fishing was certainly a minor issue on the economic level, but a major one on the political level. Although it affects an entire sector of activity, it was above all the symbol of British sovereignty.
Pauline Achard
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