EU prepare for tough vote on British fisheries

British Prime Minister Theresa May, right, and European Council President Donald Tusk attend a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018. European Union leaders are gathering to seal an agreement on Britain's departure from the bloc next year, the first time a member country will have left the 28-nation bloc. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool Photo via AP)

EU prepares for a tough vote on British fisheries

EU member states are preparing for very difficult negotiations on fisheries when the future relationship with the United Kingdom is to be resolved.

 

The state and governmental heads in the EU, on Sunday,  gave a blessing to the divorce agreement negotiated with the UK.

The agreement states that the EU and the UK will try to put in place a new fisheries agreement by the 1st of July, 2020.

However, several member states are concerned about the situation, and when the divorce agreement was approved on Sunday, a separate EU Protocol was also adopted to emphasise the requirements of EU member states in future negotiations.

The EU will give “special attention” to fishing, and fishing companies and coastal communities will be protected it stated in the protocol.

At the same time, it is stated that a future fisheries agreement with the UK must ensure reciprocal access to waters and quotas for European and British fishermen.

The case has been particularly important for France.

“This will be a crucial point in the future negotiations,” said President Emmanuel Macron when he met the press after the summit.

In the room next door, UK Prime Minister, Theresa May, held her own press conference. She pointed out that Britain becomes an independent coastal state after the divorce, with larger quotas for British fishermen as a result.

“We will be able to decide who is fishing in our waters,” said May.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today