Macron says fishing must not be 'sacrificed' to Brexit
- Macron has taken the toughest line on fishing rights in the six months of discussions to forge a future relationship with the UK by the end of the year.
BRUSSELS: French President Emmanuel Macron began an EU summit on relations with Britain in determined form Thursday, declaring that France's fishing community must not lose access to UK waters because of Brexit.
"The fishermen will not in any situation be those sacrificed to Brexit. We didn't choose Brexit. Preserving access for our fishermen to British waters is an important point for us," he said.
"And so maintaining access to British waters, finding a good compromise for our fishermen... is an important issue in this discussion for us," he said.
Macron has taken the toughest line on fishing rights in the six months of discussions to forge a future relationship with the UK by the end of the year.
France and several other EU countries want to continue to enjoy unfettered access to UK waters even after a post-Brexit transition phase that ends on December 31.
Britain wants this access limited significantly and has called for fishing rights in its waters to be renegotiated annually.
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