France is preparing to compensate its fishermen who cannot fish in British waters, the Minister for the Seas, Annick Girardin, announced Thursday, accusing the Jersey island authorities of not cooperating.

Girardin said, during an event for fishermen in Saint-Paul-de-Lyon, in far western France.

Under the 2020 agreement between the UK and the EU, European fishermen will be able to continue fishing in British waters if they can prove this before, but London and Paris differ in the type and scope of supporting documents.

The UK government and executives in the British Isles located a few kilometers from the French coast of Normandy have so far granted 220 final licenses, but France, which has played down its demands, is asking for an additional 150.

Girardin highlighted the issue of the island of Jersey, which has not yet responded to 46 requests from France. He added that 52 other licenses expired on October 31, “including 13 priority licenses”, depriving fishermen of access to these waters.

To put pressure on the island’s government, the French minister asked her services to “vigorously reinforce oversight of British ships” in the area, though she had already advanced in that she was considering compensating the fishing boats that finally stayed ashore.

“I’ll be honest with you. We must prepare for these losses,” Girardin said during the event, asking his services “in appreciation of the fleet retirement plans” that would be subject to compensation.

The employee explained that they will be able to mobilize “40 to 60 million euros” (45 to 68 million dollars), coming from a European game aimed at mitigating the consequences of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union.

sb / tjc / zm