France Warns of Legal Steps in Brexit Fishing Spat Early January

(Bloomberg) -- France’s junior minister for European Union affairs, Clement Beaune, said the bloc’s commissioners will meet in early January to decide on legal steps against the U.K. as a post-Brexit row over fishing licenses drags into the new year.

“At the start of January, Jan. 4 to be precise, we will have meetings with the EU commissioners to define the process and the measures that need to be taken,” Beaune said in an interview with France 2 television on Thursday.

“Between Jan. 4 and Jan. 6, there are very important meetings to begin the legal process against the U.K.,” he said.

Beaune said the matter will be referred to a court in the first few days of 2022, and that if the court rules that the U.K. hasn’t respected the post-Brexit accord, that could lead to retaliation measures such as customs tariffs.

“If the British don’t respect the accord, in future they will no longer have free access to our market,” Beaune said.

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