[ad_1]
Norway admitted this Friday the possibility of blocking access to its waters for fishing vessels from the countries of the European Union and the United Kingdom. The Norwegians are still waiting for London and Brussels to sign a new economic partnership agreement, so that they can start their own negotiations with both parties and define the access and distribution of fishing quotas in their economic zone.
The Norwegian areas of the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean are highly frequented by European ships and, in particular, by Portuguese ships, largely due to the notable number of species such as cod or herring.
“If there is no agreement before January 1, we will not open up Norway’s economic fishing zones to EU and UK fishing vessels,” Fisheries Minister Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen said in Parliament in Oslo, quoted as saying. by Reuters.
Norway is not part of the EU, but is part of the European Single Market and has several fisheries agreements with the Union on the management of the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, which are implemented through provisions that are renewed annually.
The UK’s withdrawal from the EU at the end of January forced a search for a new legal framework, especially in shared fishing areas in the North Sea. Oslo reached an agreement with London, but wants a trilateral compromise that includes the EU.
These negotiations, however, have been constantly postponed, due to differences between the Boris Johnson government and the European negotiators regarding the access of the respective vessels to the waters of either bloc.
Given that the transition period defined in the Brexit agreement, during which the UK continues to belong to the single market and following European standards, ends on the last day of the year and there is no indication that London and Brussels can reach an agreement In the coming days, Norway may be prevented from accessing British and European waters.
“Norway is ready to start negotiations, so that an agreement can be reached on the fishing quotas for our common resources in the North Sea,” Ingebrigtsen said. Our goal is for access to remain normal, but what we need now is clarity and speed ”.
