UK May Launch Mechanism to Settle Dispute with the EU over Fishing Row
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To address the escalating crisis between Paris and London over fishing rights, the UK confirms that it may resort to the dispute settlement mechanism with the EU included in the Brexit agreement for the first time.
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French fishermen on their boat off the British island of Jersey, May 6, 2021 (AFP)
After France used trade reprisals as a threat in the row over fishing rights with the UK, Britain said Saturday it has not ruled out using a Brexit dispute tool with the EU for the first time.
British PM Boris Johnson confirmed to Sky News on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rome, where he is set to hold a brief meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, that he does not rule this option out.
"But what I think everybody wants to see is a cooperation between the European allies and Emmanuel Macron," Johnson added.
Johnson announced that he shared "a common perspective (with the French) which is that climate change is a disaster for humanity and that we have the tools to tackle it," ahead of the UN COP26 Summit that starts in Glasgow on Sunday.
The TCA allows the UK or the EU to initiate a dispute resolution process
France is outraged by the refusal of the United Kingdom and the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey to provide fishing licenses to some French boats after Brexit.
Britain's exit from the European Union is governed by the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), which London and Paris accuse each other of violating.
The TCA allows the UK or the EU to initiate a dispute resolution process, which is yet to be tested since Brexit went into effect early this year.
Macron: Britain's "credibility" on the line
France has warned that unless licenses are granted, UK boats will be prohibited from offloading their catches at French ports starting next week, and all products imported from the UK will be subject to inspection.
On Friday, Britain issued a warning that it may impose extra checks on all EU fishing boats.
Macron said the dispute was putting Britain's "credibility" on the line, accusing London of rejecting the TCA Agreement reached after years of arduous negotiations.
