“There will be no free trade agreement without a balanced fisheries agreement”

Tribune. The British have democratically chosen to leave the European Union. We respect this sovereign choice, even if we deeply believe in the strengths and virtues of the European project. Leaving our Union, the British will give up, on 1er January 2021, the rights and duties, the advantages and the resulting constraints.

Because half of their exports go to our market, they negotiate a trade agreement with us. Because we have been fishing for centuries in what is now British waters, we are negotiating a fishing agreement with them.

These negotiations are drawing to a close: British and European alike know that there is very little time left to reach an agreement. Representatives of our fellow Europeans, we must look out for their interests and will only be guided by this in the vote that will be ours at the end of the negotiations.

Simplicity and transparency

We have been clear so far, and we will remain so: there will be no free trade agreement without a balanced, sustainable and long-term fisheries agreement. Nothing can justify our changing our mind. Let’s not let the logic of negotiation be reversed: a future partnership agreement only makes sense if it protects the interests of those who sign it.

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It is clear that the UK has to lose from leaving the single market, but that is its choice. Threatening the European fisheries sector will not open the doors to the single market any wider. Why should European fishermen suffer from a decision, Brexit, that they did not take?

The European position in the negotiations is simple and transparent: to protect our fellow citizens and our businesses and in no case to weaken them. The fishing industry is no exception. We would like the same clarity on the London side: constantly, British companies are calling on us to let us know of their dismay at the risks of a lack of agreement and their wish to maintain standards comparable to European standards.

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Today, British fishermen are worried about the conditions for their fishing to access the European market after December 31. They are right, but the British government does not seem to be alarmed.

Reciprocity

However, we would have so much to gain by committing to reciprocity! No more than we demand the sacrifice of British companies on the altar of the protection of our internal market, we cannot accept the sacrifice of our fishermen! We are asking for continued access to British waters and fish just as the British are asking for access to our internal market.

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