The European Union’s Brexit negotiator has told MEPs the EU cold squeeze energy supply in a demand to keep its fishing rights in British waters.
European fishermen were allowed continued access to parts of the UK’s coastal waters, despite the post-Brexit deal agreed by the EU saw its fishing quota in British waters cut by 25 per cent.
It comes as the EU is looking to start the negotiations as soon as possible to keep its access to the UK’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as the deal expires in 2026.
The EEZ extends by up to 200 nautical miles from the coast and Government officials fear the EU will only renegotiate the Brexit trade agreement if the UK guarantees European fishermen full access to its seas after 2026.
Starmer is under pressure to stand up to the EU over the deal
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In a written response to questions from the European parliament, Brexit negotiator Maros Sefcovic said: “We have to ensure continued access to United Kingdom waters for EU fishing fleets.”
The current deal expires on June 30, 2026, the same day as the UK-EU energy agreement, which preserved British access to European electricity and gas markets after Brexit.
Once the energy pact expires, meaning Britain risks having its easy access to EU supplies curtailed if it shuts EU boats out of the EEZ.
The average volume of fish caught by EU fishermen in British waters was 760,000 tons per year between 2012 and 2016, the year of the Brexit referendum.
In comparison, British fishermen caught 90,000 tons in EU waters, which are less populated because adult fish move to the UK’s colder and deeper waters as they grow.
Fishing represented 0.03 per cent of the UKs total economic output in 2021, reports The Telegraph.
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European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic
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Director of the Eurosceptic Bruges Group think tank Robert Oulds urged the PM to “resist” pressure from Brussels. He said: “International law is on our side.
“However, we need to build scutters now and be prepared to defend our waters from intruders plundering our resources.”
Chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations Mike Cohen added: “We would hope and expect that a Labour Government will negotiate robustly in the national interest.
“That doesn’t mean simply conceding a continuation of what we agreed last time. That was undeniably a bad deal for British fishing, and we would hope to see a better deal this time round.”
Documents revealed Sefcovic boosted the Government’s hopes of a UK-EU security deal.
He wrote: “Europe and its neighbourhood are facing unprecedented geopolitical challenges and the case for deeper cooperation in this area is clear.”
A Government spokesman said: “The UK Government will protect the interests of our fishers and fulfil our international commitments to protect the marine environment.”