UK- France Fishing Row: France delays sanctions, as talks resume

France will impose planned sanctions on Britain over a post-Brexit fishing rights series while negotiations continue, said President Emmanuel Macron.

France had previously threatened to impose targeted measures on Tuesday, such as stopping UK boats from landing at its ports and tightening customs controls.

But Macron, who met British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday at the UN climate conference in Glasgow, told reporters that the French plan had been delayed until the result of renewed talks to resolve the dispute.

“Since this afternoon, discussions have started on the basis of a proposal I made to Prime Minister Johnson. Talks must continue,” Macron said.

“We’ll see where we are tomorrow at the end of the day to see if things have changed … My wish is that we get a way out of all these issues.”

The argument focuses on the number of licenses the UK has issued to French vessels that like to fish in its territorial waters after Britain left the European Union in December last year.

Paris says British authorities in the Channel Islands have refused permission for French vessels fishing in waters where they have been sailing for a long time.

London argues that it has granted 98 per cent of applications to EU ships, a proportion which has been questioned by French authorities.

The UK has said several dozen boat permits were refused because they did not provide the necessary documents to back up their applications.

British Brexit minister David Frost and French European minister Clement Beaune will hold talks in Paris on Thursday.

France said sanctions would not be applied before that meeting.