Webinar: Brexit, Fishing, Marine Environment

TO DEAL OR NOT TO DEAL

On Tuesday evening, Caroline Roose organized a new webinar on the current sensitive topic, Brexit, and its impacts on fishing and the marine environment. While the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) apply until December 31, 2020, marking the end of the transition period granted to the United Kingdom to exit the European Union, negotiations are in full swing, and a number of disagreements persist. As Donald Trump, close to Boris Johnson, has been replaced by Joe Biden, Downing Street has distanced itself from 'hard Brexiteers' such as Dominic Cummings, and COVID-19 has suspended negotiations between the representatives of both sides, Michel Barnier and David Frost, since Thursday. Where does the 'deal' stand? To discuss this, Justine Guiny from the Europe office of BirdLife, Sarah Denman, a lawyer with the NGO ClientEarth, Stéphane Pinto, a fisherman in Boulogne-sur-Mer and spokesperson for the netters of Hauts-de-France, and Philippe Lamberts, a Member of the European Parliament from the Greens/EFA group, responded to Caroline Roose's invitation.

"A complete rupture would not be very smart"

The hot spot and emblem of this agreement between the UK and the European Union is fishing. London wants to retain free access to the European market but also all fishing rights in its waters, and that's where the issue lies. The situation is unacceptable for many European, especially French, fishermen. The risks of unfair competition from a 'no deal' and the bilateral agreements that the UK plans to ratify would weaken Europe. According to Philippe Lamberts, "a complete rupture would not be very intelligent" because the British need to sell their goods, especially since, according to Sarah Denman, they tend not to consume their own fish. Adding to this, the European Union will not accept free access without reciprocity, which must come from both sides to avoid a 'no deal.' One lever to tilt the balance in favor of an agreement would be to allow the UK access to the energy market in exchange for access to their fishing grounds, which is economically less significant. "If there is an agreement, Boris Johnson will have given up on some of his red lines."

There is great concern among European fishermen. For some boats in Hauts-de-France, English waters represent up to 100% of their fishing activity, on average 75%. In the event of no agreement, industrial fishermen would be more likely to be impacted, as they spend more time in English waters. According to Stéphane Pinto, there is a fear of skyrocketing unemployment, and subsidies are not a long-term solution. "We are already suffering from Covid head-on." An agreement would avoid "naval battles between fleets," he adds. Disputes would arise because the European Union bases this agreement on the CFP and thus the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY), which, according to him, encouraged the English to leave the European Union because it was solely based on resources. Brexit would then be an opportunity to launch a new CFP, suitable for both Europeans and those newly out of the union, and that would protect both the environment and the resource.

"Cooperation is essential because fish know no borders"

Another point of disagreement is the fight against overfishing. As Justine Guiny points out, the debate focuses on economic aspects, while "this discussion is primarily about living things." The fishing bill passed by the UK in early September is indeed very controversial among Europeans, who see risks of stock collapse. Sarah Denman explains that nothing in this law provides for an end to overfishing by 2030, as specified in Sustainable Development Goal No. 14. The British law nevertheless addresses accidental catches and climate change. An ambiguity that highlights the UK's desire to grant itself maximum flexibility regarding its fisheries while positioning itself "as a leader in environmental protection," as confirmed by its signature of the "Leader’s Pledge for Nature (1)." A bill welcomed by the British population in general but that does not reassure even its own ranks of artisanal fishermen, also concerned about the lack of a legal obligation to fish responsibly. "Fish know no borders," and mismanagement of resources in English waters would inevitably have serious consequences for all fishermen, including the British, in the Celtic Sea, the English Channel, and the North Sea. Recall that these fishing zones in the Northeast Atlantic are already severely affected by overfishing, and the UK and Europe share about a hundred fish stocks and therefore the same ecosystems. BirdLife, represented by Justine Guiny, thus calls on the UK and the European Union to follow the scientific recommendations of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and to guide Brexit through the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. "The fishing sector depends on a healthy environment."

With only about forty days left for both sides to agree on the conditions of this Brexit, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, was optimistic last Friday and considered that "progress" had been made in recent days, even if "there is still a lot of work to be done." Whatever the outcome of the negotiations, the UK will cease to apply European standards from January 1, 2021.

(1) The Leader’s Pledge for Nature envisages 30% of protected marine areas (MPAs) by 2030, corresponding to the European Union's goal of reaching 30% of its waters under MPA status, including 10% strict by 2030.

For more information: https://www.capital.fr/economie-politique/brexit-le-parlement-europeen-refuse-de-payer-le-prix-du-jeu-de-boris-johnson-1386648