France urges UK to ‘act in good faith’ on fishing and migrants

On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron called on the British government to “work in good faith” with France on the management of migrants who want to reach British shores and the entry of French fishing boats into its waters.

“Government [británico] Presenting his agenda for the EU presidency, Macron said the current country is not doing what it says “and I really want to see a government that simply wants to work with us in good faith”.

And so the French president wished that London would create a “legal way of guiding asylum”, particularly when “the British economic model relies on the illegal work of foreigners”.

His comments come shortly after the UK rejected a December 10 ultimatum from the European Commission to settle a post-Brexit fishing licensing dispute with France.

“We have never set a deadline,” a spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. “They put one in, but it’s not the one we’re working with,” he added.

Britain’s Environment Minister George Eustice is set to speak again on Friday with European Fisheries Commissioner Virginia Şinkevicius. “There is an ongoing technical process,” the spokesman said.

France warned this Thursday, from the mouth of its Minister for the Sea, Annick Girardin, that it will seek arbitration at the European level and go to open a “dispute” if London does not verify all the fishing licenses claimed by Paris. Friday night.

France has obtained 1,004 licenses, but is “still waiting for 104,” according to the Ministry of the Seas.

Under the agreement reached at the end of 2020 between the European Union and its former member, European fishermen can continue to fish in British waters if they can prove they have done so before.

But London and Paris differ on the type and scope of the supporting documents.

bur-tjc / mb