The European Union and the United Kingdom have reached an agreement

This is one of the main points of tension despite the Brexit deal. The European Commission announced on Wednesday (June 2) that the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom had reached a policy agreement on the fisheries issue. They were able to accept the catch by their fishing vessels in the jointly managed fish stocks for 2021.

The agreement was finalized in a telephone call between EU Commissioner for Fisheries Virginius Cincinnatius and UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs George Eustace. “This agreement ensures forecasting and continuity for our navies with TACs [totaux admissibles de capture] Year-end ‘, The commissioner announced in a press release. “This proves that both partners on both sides of the channel can find deals and move forward if they work together.”, He greeted himself.

The agreement guarantees EU and UK naval fishing rights in their respective waters until the end of 2021. It sets the TAC for 75 shared fish stocks and some fish stocks by 2021. Deep sea fishing for 2021 and 2022, the commission said. It also clarifies access limits for organisms outside the quota.

Source of tension

The signing of the contract is expected in the coming days. This will allow both parties to trade the quota.

Fishing was the hardest part of the post-Brexit trade agreement negotiations between the EU and the UK. The catch of EU fishermen in British waters is estimated at 650 million euros per year.

The compromise reached is a source of tension. By the end of an interim period running until June 2026, European navies had to release 25% of their catch in British waters. This access will be reviewed annually.

European fishermen believe this will hamper visibility and prevent investment. The need to obtain licenses increases dissatisfaction. Therefore, French vessels must prove that they have already fished during the reference period 2012-2016, which may be complicated for small boats, which are not required with registration and surveillance systems. Geolocation.