“Our patience has reached its limits.”īritain disputes that. “We have worked with the British, we gave them all the requested data, documents, information to back these (license) requests,” Attal said. France says the restrictions are contrary to the post-Brexit agreement that Britain signed when it left the EU.Īfter weeks of negotiations, British authorities have issued more fishing licenses, but the number still only accounts for 50% of what France believes it “is entitled to,” French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Wednesday.
and the Channel Island of Jersey to refuse dozens of French fishing boats licenses to operate in their territorial waters. left the economic orbit of the EU in January, relations between London and Paris have become increasingly frayed as the nations on either side of the English Channel sort out a post-Brexit path.įrance vehemently protested the decision last month by the U.K. “The measures being threatened do not appear to be compatible with the trade and cooperation agreement or wider international law, and if carried through will be met with an appropriate and calibrated response.” Environment Secretary George Eustice told lawmakers. “We believe these are disappointing and disproportionate, and not what we’d expect from a close ally and partner,″ U.K. France also suggested it might restrict energy supplies to the Channel Islands, British Crown dependencies that lie off the coast of France. LONDON (AP) - French authorities fined two British fishing vessels and kept one in port overnight Thursday amid a worsening dispute over fishing licenses that has stoked tensions following the U.K.’s departure from the European Union.īritain’s government warned France that it would it retaliate if French officials followed through on threats made late Wednesday to block British boats from some French ports and tighten checks on U.K.