UK try to break post-Brexit trade talks deadlock by 'giving European trawlers a three year 'transition period'.

Britain 'offers the EU a last minute concession on fishing'

UNITED KINGDOM
Thursday, October 01, 2020, 02:00 (GMT + 9)

The following is an excerpt from an article published by DailyMail:

• UK said to have offered concession on crunch issue of fishing to break deadlock

• Would see EU boats given three year 'transition period' to get used to new rules

• EU boats would see the amount they can catch in UK waters 'phased down' 

Britain has offered the EU a last minute concession on the crunch issue of post-Brexit fishing rights in an attempt to break the negotiating deadlock in trade talks, it was claimed today. 

The UK is said to have offered Brussels a three year 'transition period' which would give EU trawlers time to adapt to new fishing arrangements in British waters. 

This map shows the extent of the UK's Exclusive Economic Zone - the waters Britain will take back control of after Brexit. At the moment the EEZ of every EU member state is merged into one large zone which can be accessed by fishermen from all over Europe.

The plans would reportedly see the permitted catches of EU boats 'phased down' between 2021 and 2024 to avoid an immediate cliff edge. 

The proposals are included in a new negotiating paper which the UK has presented to the bloc ahead of the forthcoming round of trade negotiations, according to The Guardian. 

The move, not denied by Downing Street, will be seen as a last ditch attempt to resolve one of the key areas of disagreement between the two sides which have held up progress on other matters.

Downing Street is adamant that British fishing boats will be given priority in UK waters next year after the end of the Brexit transition period. 

But the bloc wants to maintain something closer to the current arrangements which grant EU member states reciprocal access to each other's waters. 

The concession apparently offered by the Government represents a potential compromise on the issue. 

One EU diplomat was optimistic that the plans could be enough to resolve the issue, telling The Guardian: 'We have a long way to go but if the other problematic issues can be sorted, it doesn't look like fisheries will stand in the way of an agreement.' 

However, the plans prompted a warning from the UK fishing industry as ministers were warned not to 'back down'. 

Barrie Deas, the head of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, said: 'What we wouldn't agree to is surrendering fishing rights in order to have a trade deal.

'There is no expectation within the UK fishing industry that the UK will back down on fisheries.'

The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman did not reject the reports but would not be drawn any further.

Author: Jack Maidment / MailOnLine | Read the rest of the story by clicking the link here

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