France, Ten EU Nations Call for A Common Front against Britain

Ten nations - including Germany, Italy, Spain and Belgium - today joined the French in signing a joint statement that calls on the UK to abide by the terms of the Brexit trade agreement and ensure 'continuity' for French fishing fleets, the Daily Mail reported.

They take particular issue with Britain's demand that French vessels supply geolocation data to get a license, saying it 'is not provided for in the deal.' 

But the statement also rows back on threats coming from the Elysee Palace in recent weeks, calling on all sides to 'calmly' negotiate a solution.

France accuses Britain of violating the post-Brexit agreement by denying licenses to French fishermen who have historically fished in UK waters.

But London says licenses have only been denied to boats where skippers were unable to provide evidence of their traditional grounds.

The statement by the 11 EU nations came after a meeting of agriculture and fisheries ministers in Luxembourg - and a week after French President Emmanuel Macron called for more pressure to be applied to Britain in the dispute.

French Fisheries Minister Annick Girardin tweeted out the statement, saying it was designed 'to push the UK to respect the Brexit deal.'

The statement says Britain's request for geolocation data from small fishing boats to prove their historic hunting grounds 'is not provided for in the deal, and is not required by European regulations'.

'We therefore call on the United Kingdom to promptly respond and undertake further technical work in accordance with... the agreement,' the statement says.

However, it also dials back on some inflammatory threats made by France in recent weeks - including cutting off power to Jersey and Guernsey, as well as blocking ports around Christmas - by saying 'this response is necessary to calmly approach forthcoming negotiations.'

The statement was revised from an earlier version, penned by French diplomats, that included harsher language criticizing the UK's 'unsatisfactory' and 'contradictory' response.

Nevertheless, Girardin signed off her tweet in English with the words: '#IWantMyLicencesBack.'

France is still thought to be preparing separate 'retaliatory' measures designed to punish the UK and which will be unveiled in the coming weeks. 

It is the latest threat from across the channel in a dispute over access to rich fishing grounds from next year.

'This joint declaration marks an important step because only a collective response will allow the European Union to contemplate serenely the continuation of the negotiations with our British partner,' said Girardin.

Fishing rights were a key sticking point in getting the Brexit deal signed in the first place, and dragged talks into overtime before an agreement was finally signed off at the start of the year.

But it wasn't long before a row broke out again, with a standoff around the islands of Jersey and Guernsey after just a handful of licenses were granted to French fleets.

French fishing boats blockaded Jersey's main port while the UK deployed the Navy to keep guard as tensions ran high.

The latest round of fighting broke out over a different set of fishing grounds, located 6-12 nautical miles off the British coast, when just 12 licenses were granted to 47 French boats which had applied.

That sparked threats from the fishermen to block UK ports around Christmas, interrupting shipments of gifts and food.

Jean-Pierre Pont - an MP for Macron's En Marche party - also suggested the Channel Tunnel could be blocked, and that a key migration treaty could be torn up. 

In France's parliament last week, Prime Minister Jean Castex accused Britain of reneging on its promise over fishing.

'We see in the clearest way possible that Great Britain does not respect its own signature,' he said, adding that 'all we want is that a given word is respected.'

In a relationship where both sides often fall back on cliches about the other, Castex was harking back to the centuries-old French insult of 'Perfidious Albion,' a nation that can never be trusted.

Meanwhile, French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune added to this late Monday. He said: 'The European Union scrupulously implements the agreement it reached with the United Kingdom. We expect the same from Britain.'

French fishing barons last week gave Britain two weeks to grant them more access to its waters or face being cut off from crucial Christmas supplies.

They handed down the ultimatum a day after skippers vowed to block the port of Calais and the Channel Tunnel unless their demands were met.

Beaune backed the move and threatened to cut off supplies of Christmas turkeys unless continental fishermen are allowed to work in British waters.     

'They failed on Brexit. It was a bad choice. Threatening us, threatening our fishermen, will not settle their supply of turkey at Christmas,' Beaune told BFM TV.

'We will hold firm. The Brits need us to sell their products,' he added.

French boats were free to fish in the six-to-12-mile zone when the UK was in the EU, but now have to prove that they previously did so. France says they should keep the same level of access, accusing Britain of breaching the Brexit trade deal. 

French fishermen have also said they could block the northern port of Calais and Channel Tunnel rail link, both major transit points for trade between Britain and continental Europe, if London does not grant more fishing licenses in the next 17 days.

They previously blockaded Jersey over access to Channel Island waters.

Beaune said France had asked for 450 fishing licenses but had only received 275. 'We're 40 percent short, but we insist on those 450,' he said.

'Britons need us to sell their products, including from fishing, they need us for their energy, for their financial services and for their research centres,' Beaune said.

'All of this gives us pressure points. We have the means to modulate the degree of our cooperation, to reduce it, if Britain does not implement the agreement,' he said.

'If they don't do their share, then we won't do 100 percent of our share either.'

The Brexit trade agreement, signed by both sides last year, reduces the catch for EU trawlers in British waters by 25 per cent over five-years. After that expires, access will be negotiated on an annual basis.

The French government wants other EU members to support their push for Britain to be brought before an arbitration panel set up to thrash out post-Brexit disputes.