THE EU has complained to Britain that the terms of its post-Brexit trade deal are being ignored in the deepening dispute over fishing rights off Jersey.
The European Commission said French fishing boats were facing “additional conditions” if they were to carry on operating, in breach of the terms of the agreement hammered out on Christmas Eve.
But in a call with Jersey’s Chief Minister John Le Fondre, Boris Johnson again voiced his “unequivocal support” for the actions taken by the island’s government.
He said that two Royal Navy patrol boats despatched to the area yesterday would remain in place as a “precautionary measure”.
READ MORE: Jersey: France sends police patrol boats as Brexit fisheries tensions rise
Meanwhile, the French authorities said they were sending a pair of police patrol boats as dozens of French protesting fishing vessels gathered off the main port, St Helier.
The furious row erupted after the Jersey government said French boats would be required to obtain licences to carry on fishing in the island’s waters under the terms of the trade deal with the EU which came into force last Friday.
The move provoked a wave of anger among French fishing communities who complained that some boats which had operated there for years were suddenly having their access restricted.
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In Brussels, a spokeswoman for the European Commission said that “additional conditions” attached to the new licences represented a breach of the trade deal.
“We have … indicated to the UK that we see that the provisions of the EU/UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement, that we recently agreed, have not been met there, have not being respected,” the spokeswoman said.
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