Macron wages Brexit war on UK: France threatens to BLOCK British ships from ...

Macron wages Brexit war on UK: France threatens to BLOCK British ships from ...
Macron wages Brexit war on UK: France threatens to BLOCK British ships from ...

France and Britain are at loggerheads over fishing rights in the Channel, with a row over the politically sensitive industry causing a major diplomatic flare up. 

What has caused the dispute?

In a word, Brexit.

Britain's departure from the European Union, which came into force on January 1, ripped up agreements in place to manage fish stocks in waters around the UK and the Channel Islands.

Until Brexit, EU members including Britain had treaties and a joint fisheries policy that allocated quotas of different stocks to each nation's fishing fleet.

As part of these agreements, hundreds of EU vessels, mostly French ones, were allowed access to Britain's fish-rich territorial waters between six and 12 miles from the coast.

So what changed?

Fishing was one of the most difficult issues to solve in the tense Brexit negotiations, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson promising to regain "full control" of British waters.

In the end, the two sides agreed a compromise last December that will see EU boats gradually relinquish 25 percent of their current quotas over a five-and-a-half year transition period.

After this, there will be annual negotiations on the amount of fish EU vessels can take from British waters.

Under the agreement, EU fishermen wishing to access British seas had to apply for new licences.

The licences were for more distant waters considered Britain's exclusive economic zone (12-200 nautical miles from the coast), and its closer territorial waters (6-12 nautical miles from the coast).

Fishermen needed to prove a track record of working there between 2012-2016.

And the Channel Islands?

They are a separate, but significant part of the picture.

Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands, which are self-governing.

They are not part of the United Kingdom but recognise Queen Elizabeth as their head of state and depend on Britain for defence and foreign relations.

Brexit also meant the end of the Granville Bay fishing treaty between

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