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The issue of fisheries is one of the obstacles to reaching an agreement between the UK and the EU on relations after the end of the transition period after the British withdrawal from the Community.
If no agreement is reached, patrol crews will have the power to stop EU fishing vessels in UK waters and detain fishermen.
Negotiations are expected to continue this weekend in Brussels. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on the eve that “the parties have not yet been able to find a solution and resolve their differences.”
Four 80-meter vessels are willing to not allow EU fishing trawlers to enter UK waters if the parties decide not to pursue a free trade deal on Sunday.
The issue of fisheries is one of the obstacles to reaching an agreement between the UK and the EU on relations after the end of the transition period after the British withdrawal from the Community.
Vessel preparation is one of the intensified contingency planning actions on both sides of the English Channel, reminiscent of the ‘Cod Wars’ with Iceland in the 1960s and 1970s for fishing rights in the North Atlantic.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said “it is very, very likely” that the negotiations will fail and that the UK and its biggest trading partner, the EU, will have to abide by the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO). .
European leaders have also been informed that the chances of an agreement are slim, as the parties continue to disagree strongly on the rules governing fair competition and fishing rights in British territorial waters.
Deal or no deal, on December 31, more than four years after the Brexit referendum, the British will leave the single market and the EU customs union.
“Strict enforcement”
According to Reserve Admiral Alan West, who commanded British Navy HQ from 2002 to 2006, training a fisheries conservation squad is a smart move.
“The Royal Navy must protect our waters if we take the position that we are a sovereign state, and the government says we don’t want any other fishing vessels in them,” he told BBC radio.
The Fisheries Protection Fleets, the oldest fleet in the Royal Navy with a history of more than 500 years, have been River-class patrol boats and have previously helped ensure compliance with UK and EU fisheries legislation.
British Conservatives, hardliners Brexiters, demanded that the navy protect UK territorial waters if no deal is reached.
Conservative lawmaker Daniel Kawczynski said it would help “prevent the French from fishing illegally” in British waters.
However, his colleague Tobias Ellwood, a former British Army captain who currently heads the House of Commons special defense committee, warned that these actions would tarnish the country’s international image.
“We are faced with the prospect that our already congested Royal Navy will collide with a close NATO ally over fishing rights,” he told the BBC.
“This is no longer the time for Queen Elizabeth I. Now it is Global Britain,” he added, referring to the country’s new foreign policy after leaving the EU.
“We need to build alliances, not dismantle them,” Ellwood said.
The Department of Defense has confirmed that it has conducted “large-scale planning and preparation” for various scenarios since January 1, and that 14,000. people are ready to help ensure a smooth transition.
The four maritime patrol vessels are part of “strong enforcement action taken to protect the rights of the UK as an independent coastal state.” Among other things, helicopters can be used for aerial surveillance.
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