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Is Brussels ready to give way to fishing rights? Hopes for a Brexit breakthrough rise as EU negotiators seek compromise on a controversial issue
- EU negotiators seek compromise on the issue of fishing rights
- Diplomats say Michel Barnier will seek a compromise on fishing rights
- Barnier meets with EU fisheries ministers to secure a possible deal
- France suspects Barnier is being too lenient on Britain over fishing rights
Hope for a Brexit breakthrough was raised last night when it emerged that EU negotiators are seeking a compromise on the controversial issue of fishing rights.
Michel Barnier, Brussels chief negotiator, will hold confrontational talks with eight EU fisheries ministers tomorrow.
Diplomats say they expect Barnier to outline potential compromises for Brexit trade talks.
Michel Barnier meets with EU fisheries ministers to discuss a possible compromise on his red line on access to British waters to secure a broader free trade agreement with the UK.
British sources say Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not compromise fishing rights
Barnier is expected to tell ministers that a concession is needed in line on future access to British waters to reach an agreement on the line.
Eurocrats hope it can give the British negotiating team some room to soften its stance on state aid and governance.
An EU diplomat said: “That is the price the UK must pay for a compromise on a level playing field.”
Officials said the negotiations were once again “completely deadlocked” on the level playing field, controlling a future agreement and fishing rights.
France is expected to lead the charge against Barnier for being too lenient with the UK. The French government believes that the offer of zero-tariff and zero-quota access to the single market gives the EU more influence over Britain.
British sources downplayed the importance of the meeting and promised that Britain would not back down. “We have been clear all along about our fundamental principles and we are working hard to find an agreement that complies with them,” said a source.
It comes as Home Office figures revealed that hundreds of thousands more EU citizens live in Britain than previously thought.
The Interior Ministry said 4.26 million European citizens have applied to keep their right to live here after January 1.
A report from the Library of Commons in February said the figure was 3.4 million, adding that it could reach 4 million.
However, the data covering the apps as of the end of September shows that the estimate was too low between 260,000 and 860,000. Poles have filed the most applications (773,000), followed by Romanians (671,000) and Italians (402,000).
