British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron this weekend amid a row over post-Brexit fishing rights in which France has seized a British boat and London has threatened to board French trawlers.
The flare-up is part of a wider dispute over post-Brexit trade arrangements between Britain and the European Union that could severely disrupt cross-Channel trade and further undermine British-French relations if it spins out of control.
Johnson’s spokesperson said the prime minister and Macron were expected to meet on the margins of the G20 summit of the world’s 20 biggest economies on Rome on Saturday and Sunday.
France said this week it would impose sanctions on Britain if London does not allow more French trawlers to fish in UK waters, and it detained a British scallop dredger.
Meanwhile, French Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie said earlier on Friday there had been no progress in talks on granting more licenses for French vessels to fish in UK waters, and said it was right for France to prepare sanctions against Britain.
Facing the threat of extra customs checks on British goods and potentially higher energy tariffs from France if talks fail, British Environment Secretary George Eustice said: “Two can play at that game.”
Britain’s departure from the EU last year deepened strains in its relations with France, and negotiations on fishing rights proved long and difficult even before it left the bloc.
France says Britain has refused to grant its fishermen the full number of licenses to operate in British waters that France says is warranted. Britain says it is issuing licenses to vessels that meet its criteria.
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