Last-minute fishing hitch delays announcement of Brexit deal: Irish FM
Reuters/Dublin
Photo: Reuters
An announcement is expected later on Thursday.
A last minute hitch related to fishing has delayed the agreement of a British-European Union trade deal, but an announcement is expected later on Thursday, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on Thursday.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson “had been due to hold a news conference around now. That hasn’t happened. So there is some sort of last-minute hitch” related to “small text” of a fisheries agreement, Coveney told Ireland’s RTE radio.
“I had hoped to be talking to you this morning in parallel with big announcements happening in both London and Brussels, but we still expect those later on today.”
Brexit talks continue to stall over fishing rights
EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has proposed that EU fishermen give up nearly a quarter of the value of the fish they currently catch in UK waters. Britain is understood to be seeking more than half of the value. December 20, 2020 11:55:44 am The European Parliament wants Britain and the bloc to reach a deal by Sunday night. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Fishing rights remain a key stumbling block on the path towards a Brexit trade deal as another EU deadline on Sunday looks set to pass without an agreement, according to senior officials.
French fishermen fear for post-Brexit future
An EU diplomat told news agency AFP that Brussels had made its last offer on fisheries and it was now down to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to decide whether he wants a deal. If Britain doesn t accept the latest EU offer it will be a no deal over fish, he warned.
Meanwhile, French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune said talks would not be called to a halt if they extended beyond Sunday. We won t do that because what is at risk is whole sectors like fishing, like sustainable competition conditions for our businesses, he said.