PARIS (Reuters) - French fishermen know they won’t get the same access to British fishing waters after Brexit, President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, a sign of a softening stance on one of the main issues blocking an EU-Britain trade deal.
“Will the situation be the same as today’s? No, that’s for sure. Our fishermen know it, we know it too. We’ll have to help them. But can we accept a Brexit that sacrifices our fishermen? No,” Macron said.
Fishing rights are one of the last big issues left between Britain and the European Union to hammer out a trade deal that would take effect when a transition ends and Britain leaves the EU orbit at the end of the year. The issue is particularly important in France, home to coastal communities that have long fished in British waters.
While conceding that French and EU fishermen would not get the same level of access as now, Macron said a deal must give European fishermen long term visibility.
Britain wants fishing quotas to be renegotiated each year. The EU rejects this, arguing that it would make it impossible for the industry to make investment decisions.
Macron has come under pressure to relent on fishing, a small industry compared to others, such as Germany’s car manufacturers, that could be hurt by a no-deal Brexit. He insisted that fishing was not the main stumbling block in talks.
