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Four British Navy vessels are on standby to protect UK fishing waters if there is no deal with the European Union by December 31, a source from the British Defense Ministry confirmed on Saturday.
Quoted by AFP and EFE, the source confirmed information published in the British press that the four vessels, 80 meters in length, were deployed and will have the power to “stop, inspect and capture” fishing vessels from EU countries that enter in British waters.
The Royal Navy has defined “robust measures” to preserve the rights of the United Kingdom “as an independent coastal state” if, after the post-Brexit transition period, on December 31, there is no agreement with Brussels to regulate the future relationship. and, in particular, fishing.
The announcement comes at a time when contingency plans on both sides of the English Channel have been accelerated in the event that there is no agreement on the future relationship between the UK and the EU.
Negotiations resumed on Friday in Brussels, with a tight deadline until Sunday to try to reach a post-‘Brexit ‘deal.
The two parties have admitted in recent days divergences that make it difficult to understand before December 31, which will imply the application of trade barriers such as quotas and customs duties to products imported by the respective markets from 2021.
Since the official exit from the EU on January 31, the UK has continued to apply European rules and only after the end of the transition period will it leave the single market and the customs union of 27.
European access to British waters, the guarantees required by the EU on competition in exchange for British access without tariffs or quotas to the single market and a dispute resolution mechanism are the main points of contention.
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