FRENCH FISHERMEN THREATEN TO BLOCK UK TRUCKS OVER ROW

Protesting French fishermen have threatened to block trucks from the UK carrying British fish, amid a row over access to British waters, Euronews reported.

More than a hundred fishermen mobilized on Thursday night in Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais), France's largest fishing port. They were protesting the delay in the allocation of licenses to access British waters, months after the post-Brexit agreement on fishing was signed between the UK and the EU.

"This night of action is a warning shot and if nothing happens at the European level, then we will move up a gear," warned Olivier Leprêtre, president of the regional fisheries committee.

France has called on the European Commission to act “firmly” to “accelerate” the implementation of the agreement.

As part of that agreement, the UK is supposed to issue fishing licenses for the 6-12 nautical mile zone. According to Leprêtre, the UK has only granted licenses to access UK waters to 22 out of 120 vessels.

In a joint statement, the French Minister for the Sea Annick Girardin and the Secretary of State for European Affairs Clément Beaune recalled "the need for firm and determined action by the European Commission to ensure the full application of the agreement."

They added: "We will act in a spirit of European solidarity and cooperation with the United Kingdom, but the urgency of the situation requires an acceleration of collective efforts."

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