Assuring that French fishing would not be “sacrificed” on the altar of post-Brexit trade negotiations, Jean Castex promised, this Thursday, a “support plan” from Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais) , where he came to see the progress of preparations, one month from the end of the transition period. “We obviously hope to obtain an agreement under the best possible conditions, but not under any conditions. And certainly not in the conditions where fishing would be sacrificed as an adjustment variable ”, hammered the Prime Minister in front of representatives of the sector (fishermen, industrialists, transporters…).
While European standards will cease to apply to the United Kingdom on January 1, 2021, whether there is a trade agreement or not, Mr. Castex therefore tried, this Thursday, to respond to the concerns of fishermen, appearing in the first row victims of the surrounding uncertainty. The process seemed to be speeding up this weekend, however, with European negotiator Michel Barnier telling member states that the next few hours of discussions would be crucial. However, fishing, and therefore access to British waters full of fish, is one of the main bones of contention.
“Access to water is imperative”
“We need access to the water, it is imperative, it is the priority”, thus repeated to Mr. Castex Olivier Leprêtre, president of the regional fishing committee. “If we fall back on French waters, there is a risk of overexploitation, in a few months we will destroy the resource”, he further warned the Prime Minister, who had just visited the Klondyke, a fishing boat offshore company operating in the north of Scotland.
“It is a negotiation and a negotiation must lead to compromises. And we must accompany you in these compromises, ”replied Mr. Castex, promising“ national solidarity ”to“ the territories concerned ”. “A new era is about to begin. I would like there to be a specific support plan ”, declared Mr. Castex, assuring the representatives of the sector (fishermen, industrialists, transporters, etc.), gathered in a round table that“ the State will ( it) its responsibilities ”. Mr. Castex also asked the prefects “to ensure, given the circumstances, that specific actions of the recovery plan are intended” for the players in the fishery, for their “projects” for the future or their “conversion”.
For the French, fishing in British waters represents around 20% of fishing activity in the Atlantic – Channel – North Sea, or around 180 million euros. The impact of a “no deal”, which would also mean a reestablishment of customs duties according to a tariff schedule of the World Trade Organization, is still difficult to measure and will have to be assessed “on a case by case basis, depending on the ports. », Argues to Matignon.
1,700 agents recruited
More generally, the Prime Minister, who was then expected in Calais, on the Eurotunnel site and then at the commercial port, also comes to check the preparations before the changeover. This involves in particular ensuring “that the State services are well mobilized”, both in terms of infrastructure and personnel, dixit Matignon, who underlines that 1,700 agents have been recruited in the customs and veterinary services. , the police… Thus, Mr. Castex announced this Thursday the arrival of twenty more agents in Boulogne-sur-Mer, in order to operate 24 hours a day the veterinary inspection service of this city (Sivep), intended to process seafood arriving from Great Britain.
Hauts-de-France obviously concentrates most of the issues, since 70% of trade between the EU and the United Kingdom passes through there, at the rate of 12,000 heavy goods vehicles, 13,000 cars and 60,000 passengers per day. The authorities expect, for example, that the screening of a passenger coming from Great Britain will drop from 20 seconds today to more than a minute in the event of further checks. With one challenge: to reduce truck queues as much as possible, while ensuring the smooth operation of customs clearance points and security and health checks.
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