Jersey accuses France of unnecessary threats in fishing row
The Channel Island of Jersey on Wednesday slammed as "disproportionate" French threats of reprisals, including cutting off electricity supplies, over contentious new post-Brexit fishing rules.
- World
- AP
- Published Date: 12:19 | 05 May 2021
- Modified Date: 12:24 | 05 May 2021
Authorities on the island of Jersey accused France of acting disproportionately after Paris threatened to cut off electricity amid a dispute over fishing rights following Britain's departure from the European Union.
French maritime minister Annick Girdardin warned Tuesday that France was ready to take "retaliatory measures" after it accused Jersey of stalling in issuing licenses to French boats under the terms of the U.K.'s post-Brexit trade deal with the EU.
The external affairs minister for Jersey, Sen. Ian Gorst, said Jersey was just following new rules that took effect last week.
"This is not the first threat that the French have made to either Jersey or the United Kingdom since we are into this new deal," Gorst told the BBC. "It would seem disproportionate to cut off electricity for the sake of needing to provide extra details so that we can refine the licenses."
Britain is responsible for the island's foreign relations even though Jersey is not technically part of the U.K. Jersey and the other Channel Islands, which are closer to France than to Britain, are self-governing dependencies of the British Crown that have their own administrations and elected legislatures.