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The total tonnage of French fishing vessels cleared to operate in UK seas massively exceeds that of all of the Royal Navy’s fleet of frigates combined, Facts4EU has pointed out. Meanwhile, report author Leigh Evans has accused Mr Macron of attempting to “bully” Britain – while dismissing French objections as “absurd”.
The pro-Brexit think tank used figures published by the Government’s Marine Management Organisation last week to suggest despite the vehement objections, France did not have quite such a raw deal as has been suggested.
Facts’ report shows:
- France has been given UK licences which are more than all other continental EU countries combined
- The French now have almost four times as many UK fishing licences as the Dutch
- They have more than six times as many as the Danish
- More than eight times as many as the Spanish
- More than 11 times as many as the Belgians
- Roughly 15 times as many as the Germans and Portuguese
Additionally, the total tonnage of French fishing ships operating in UK waters (81,874 tonnes) comfortably outstrips the weight of the Royal Navy’s 12 frigates (58,800 tonnes).
The MMO figures indicate almost 1,700 EU vessels have been granted licences to enter British waters (within 200 nautical miles) since the start of the year.
Of these, 44 percent of the new licences – a total of 738 – were granted to French vessels.
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Ms Girardin, France’s Maritime Minister, has claimed Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Government is “dragging their feet or failing to live up to their commitments”.
She also warned French retaliation could involve energy supplies, educational exchanges, trade flows and rail links.
Mr Evans concluded: “History tells us, and most people’s everyday experiences support this, that the only way to deal with a bully is to stand up to him or her.
“It is now well over five years since the British people voted to leave the European Union and yet it seems that there is no end to the EU’s vindictive and bullying ways towards Brexit Britain.
“Theresa May’s government unfortunately pursued a policy of appeasement at every level and when you give in to a bully you merely enable him. Events have proved this once again.”
Mr Evans, Facts4EU’s chairman, added: “The latest storm in a tasse de the from Monsieur Macron is over the denial of a very small number of licences to French boats to fish in UK waters.
“There is no question that the UK’s maritime agency has acted efficiently in handing out almost 1,700 licences to EU fishing vessels.
“If the French are incapable of making correct applications in over nine months, then it is hardly the UK which is responsible.
“For President Macron’s government now to be amassing EU-wide support for trade sanctions to be threatened against the United Kingdom over such a trivial matter of French making is not only absurd, it is completely unacceptable and must be rebuffed immediately.”
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