Still, Mr. Araud said the indignant French reaction had a deeper subtext: The country’s sense of anger and loss at Britain’s departure from the European Union, where it had helped balance France’s relationship with Germany.
Relations had already soured on a range of issues as Britain finalized its divorce from the European Union. President Emmanuel Macron of France raised doubts about a coronavirus vaccine developed at the University of Oxford and produced by AstraZeneca, a British-based drugmaker, prompting charges of “vaccine nationalism.”
In December, Mr. Macron briefly cut off access to freight shipments to and from Britain to prevent a fast-spreading variant of the virus that originated in Britain from leaping across the English Channel.
At issue in Jersey are new licensing requirements the authorities imposed on French fishing boats, who have long worked the waters around the Channel Islands. Among other things, the vessels are required to carry equipment that allows their locations to be tracked.
Under the part of the Brexit agreement governing fishing, which went into effect on May 1, following a four-month grace period, Jersey granted fishing licenses to 41 French boats larger than 12 meters, or 39 feet. The problem, according to Marc Delahaye, director of the Comité Régional des Pêches Maritimes de Normandie, was that the additional requirements were imposed without warning or consultation. The European Commission said the British government had notified it of the changes last week and that it was in discussions with London.
As a crown dependency, Jersey is not part of the United Kingdom and has special status that gives it self-governing rights, including its own Legislative Assembly, as well as fiscal and legal systems. However, Jersey’s reliance on French electricity makes its economy vulnerable, Mr. Delahaye said, noting that it was in the interests of the British and French governments to calm the situation.
“I don’t think that London and Paris want to start firing missiles across the Channel,” he said.
France’s Europe minister, Clément Beaune, said Thursday that France also wanted a quick easing of tensions and the implementation of the Brexit trade agreement. But he told Agence France-Presse, “We won’t be intimidated by these maneuvers.”
The Link LonkMay 06, 2021 at 07:10PM
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/06/world/europe/uk-france-jersey-fishing.html
U.K. and France Send Naval Ships to Island of Jersey in Fishing Dispute - The New York Times
https://news.google.com/search?q=Send&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
No comments:
Post a Comment