Table of Contents
Why is UK fishing waters so important to EU?
UK fishermen sell a large proportion of their catch to the EU so access to EU markets is important. In 2019, the UK fishing industry exported more than 333,000 tonnes of fish to the EU.
Has Brexit finished?
The effects of Brexit will in part be determined by the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement signed on 30 December 2020, which was provisionally applied from 1 January 2021 when the Brexit transition period ended, and which formally came into force on 1 May 2021 after ratification processes on both sides were …
What is the EU position on fishing?
Under the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy, the EEZs of all member states are managed as a common resource, termed ‘EU waters’. All EU fishing vessels have the right to fish anywhere in these waters, provided they hold a quota allocation for the stock of fish concerned.
What does EU want on fishing?
Both sides want to keep fish flowing across borders and avoid clashes between ships at sea, and the EU wants to maintain its access to waters vital to its commercial fishing industries for years to come.
What does the Brexit deal mean for fishing in the UK?
The EU wanted it to be longer, the UK wanted it to be shorter – it looks like they’ve met somewhere in the middle, with an end date of 30 June 2026. Under plans outlined in the deal, EU fishing quota in UK waters will be reduced by 15\% in the first year and 2.5 percentage points each year after.
Is the EU ready to back down on fishing rights?
However, Michael Gove yesterday said the UK will never give in to that demand Now, sources suggest the EU could drop their fishing rights demand next month The EU is ready to back down from its hard line position on fishing rights next month, according to senior sources in Brussels.
What are the EU’s fisheries demands for the UK?
Under the EU’s current demands, supported by France, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands, Britain would be effectively required to offer European fishermen the same access to UK waters as required by EU membership. Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, has previously described the body’s position on fisheries as ‘maximalist’.
How do fishing quotas work in the EU?
In the EU, fishing rights are negotiated annually by ministers from each member state, who gather for marathon talks every December to haggle over the volume of fish that can be caught from each species. National quotas are then divided up using historical data going back to the 1970s, when the UK fishing industry says it got a bad deal.