‘We know how to make it a very nasty battle’: French minister warns Britain that a post-Brexit trade deal could collapse if there is no agreement to allow EU fishermen work in UK waters
- Amelie de Montchalin gave her first English language interview today#
- Said agreement between London and Brussels hinged on four factors
- A failure to make a deal on any one could scupper whole arrangement
- UK and EU squaring off ahead of official start of post-Brexit trade talks tomorrow
A post-Brexit trade deal with the UK could collapse if Britain refuses to give adequate fishing rights to European boats, a French minister warned today.
Amelie de Montchalin said that an agreement between London and Brussels hinged on four factors, with a failure of any one able to kibosh chances of a deal.
As well as fishing in the EU will want accords on free trade, competition rules and governance of the deal encompassing our future relationship, the French European affairs minister said.
Asked on the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme if the EU was willing to collapse the whole agreement for the sake of fishing, she said: ‘Yes. We said that there are four topics which are linked in negotiations.
‘What I want to say that on fish and other topics, all we play it with emotion, with drama, with passion, with symbols and we know how to make it a very I think nasty battle.
Amelie de Montchalin said that an agreement between London and Brussels hinged on four factors, with a failure of any one able to kibosh chances of a deal
As well as fishing in the EU will want accords on free trade, competition rules and governance of the deal encompassing our future relationship, the French European affairs minister said
‘Both sides. A very nasty battle where politicians in the UK, politicians in France are put in the situation where things get very difficult.
‘And at the end we will both lose.’
Her comments came as both London and Brussels squared up ahead of the official start of post-Brexit trade talks tomorrow.
The two sides are flexing their muscles to do battle over key areas like fishing rights and the so called ‘level playing field’ for worker and environmental rights the UK wants to abandon.
This week Boris Johnson put Britain on a collision course with the EU, warning Brussels that the Government would pull the plug on trade talks in just four months time if it did not get its way.
The Prime Minister’s administration wants to see the ‘broad outlines’ of a ‘Canada-style’ deal with Brussels before a planned June summit, according to its confrontational official negotiating mandate.
If the two sides remain at loggerheads Britain is ready to withdraw and and concentrate on preparing the country for a bare-bones situation using World Trade Organisation terms under an arrangement with the EU similar to Australia’s.