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Ahead of a new round of talks next week, Boris Johnson’s spokesman said the EU’s top negotiator had misrepresented Britain’s proposals to try to divert attention from the bloc’s “unrealistic and unprecedented” demands. His outburst came in response to a speech by Barnier earlier this week in which he claimed the UK had to cede sovereignty over fish in British coastal waters to Brussels in order to have any hope of securing a trade deal.
The Brussels diplomat also claimed that Johnson wanted the UK to leave the EU but retain many of the alleged benefits of membership.
In a briefing for Westminster journalists yesterday, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “Michel Barnier’s comments are a misleading representation of our proposals aimed at diverting scrutiny from the EU’s own positions, which are unrealistic and unrealistic. precedents.
“For our part, we have been consistently clear that we seek a relationship that respects our sovereignty and has a free trade agreement at its core similar to those that the EU has already agreed with like-minded countries.
“The EU has refused to commit to our proposals and the document we have brought to the table, insisting that we must accept continuity with the EU’s fisheries policy and without taking into account the status of the UK as an independent coastal state.
“We need more realism from the EU on the scale of change resulting from our departure from the EU.”
Johnson was seeking an agreement on fishing rights similar to the EU’s agreements with Norway, which negotiates fishing quotas annually.
“From the outside we have made it clear that once we leave the EU, we will once again become an independent coastal state and it will be our responsibility to determine who fishes in UK waters.
“We have submitted proposals on fishing and we have provided a legal text.
“What we are looking for is a relationship based on the one the EU has with Norway,” the spokesman said.
As bitterness in the negotiations deepens, a senior German politician urged EU chiefs to prepare for European fishing vessels to be excluded from UK waters.
Julia Klockner, agriculture minister in German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government, predicted that EU negotiators will continue to demand unchanged access to UK waters.
Ms Klockner said the industry could be backed by a £ 4.5bn reserve fund for the “fallout from a no-deal Brexit”.
“We need to defend the interests of our fishing industry and our processing industry in the EU,” he told the European Parliament’s fisheries committee.
She added: “Our fishermen and women need access rights to UK territorial waters and they need fishing opportunities.
“I certainly hope that a timely agreement is possible. But of course we must prepare for all scenarios, including a no-deal scenario. “
The battle for access to Britain’s territorial waters is a “real stumbling block in the conclusion of any deal”, Ms Klockner told MEPs.
He insisted that Germany, which holds the rotating EU presidency, will not seek to dilute the bloc’s demands during trade talks.
“For fisheries, we want to make sure we have at least the status quo,” he told MEPs.
“There is a clear link between a general free trade agreement and a specific fisheries agreement. We cannot separate the two, I think it is essential to take that into account. “
The EU’s refusal to back down on fisheries has raised concerns about another deadlock when the two sides meet for further negotiations in London next week.
With the chances of a no-deal Brexit increasing, the German government is preparing a “Plan B” for the bloc’s fishermen.
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