UK Brexit minister meets French counterpart in bid to resolve fishing dispute

UK Brexit Minister David Frost has held talks with French officials over the fishing dispute. Picture: Aaron Chown/PA

No breakthroughs have been announced following a meeting between the UK's Brexit minister David Frost and France’s Europe minister in a bid to calm a dispute over fishing.

A UK Government spokesperson said Mr Frost had met Europe minister Clement Beaune in Paris on Thursday.

A statement released said the two sides "discussed the range of difficulties arising from the application of the agreements between the UK and the EU”.

The UK Government insisted the majority of applications for fishing licences have been granted (Ben Birchall/PA)

It said: “Both sides set out their positions and concerns.”

David Frost will meet European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic in Brussels on Thursda

Meanwhile, on Twitter Mr Beaune said he had been happy to meet with Mr Frost to “relaunch the necessary dialogue and ensure the implementation of our agreements”.

It comes after France threatened sanctions over what it perceives as a refusal to issue licences to its trawlers to operate in UK waters.

The UK Government has insisted the overwhelming majority of applications for licences have been granted.

French President Emmanuel Macron delayed the imposition of punitive measures while talks between the UK, France and the European Commission take place.

The French government has insisted the measures – which could include a ban on British trawlers landing their catches in French ports and tighter customs checks to hamper cross-Channel trade – remain “on the table” if a deal cannot be reached.

French Government spokesman Gabriel Attal underlined the threat of sanctions remained: “We will see what comes with those meetings.

“As you know, the control measures that we announced are still suspended but all options are on the table, and we may need to implement those measures if we do not reach an agreement.”

On Wednesday, he said: “We are just waiting for one thing: for the UK to respect the deal that they signed.”

Under the Brexit deal, European Union boats which can show they have fished in British waters in at least four of the years from 2012 to 2016 are eligible for a licence.

Some 1,831 applications for licences have been received, with 1,793 issued.

The Cornelis Gert Jan, which was being held in Le Havre, following a dispute between the UK and France (Andrew Matthews/PA)

The main source of contention has been for smaller vessels, the under 12-metre category fishing between six and 12 nautical miles of the coast, where 50 applications have been received – all from French vessels – but just 19 have been issued.

Meanwhile, a British trawler which was impounded by France amid the dispute over post-Brexit fishing rights has arrived in the UK after being released by French authorities.

The Scottish-registered scallop dredger Cornelis Gert Jan left Le Havre on Wednesday evening after being held there since last week, when France accused it of fishing in its waters without a proper licence.

The fishing row is just one of the issues Mr Frost will be raising during his talks in Paris and Brussels.

The main dispute between the UK and European Union is over Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trading arrangements.