'Ready for a no-deal': French President warns fishermen must not be 'sacrificed' to Brexit

French President Emmanuel Macron, on October 15, began an EU Summit on relations with Britain and said that France’s fishing community must not lose access to UK waters because of Brexit. In a determined form, Macron said that France was ready for a no-deal if the United Kingdom refuses to agree to conditions for a future relationship that would preserve French fishermen’s right in British waters and non-dumping rules. 

As he arrived at the EU Summit in Brussels, Macron told international reporters that in no case shall France’s fishermen be sacrificed. He added that if the conditions are not met, it is possible that there will be no deal. The French President also said that if the right terms can’t be found at the end these discussions, “we’re ready for a no-deal for our future relations”. 

Last week, UK PM Boris Johnson had held a telephone conversation with Macron. Johnson, who has exhibited confidence in cracking the deal, is reported to have told Macron that he would “explore every avenue” to secure a deal. However, he also added that he was prepared to leave the Brexit transition period at the end of the year on Australian-style terms with Brussels if necessary. 

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As the United Kingdom negotiates a rudimentary free trade agreement with the European Union, UK PM Boris Johnson had said that the prospects of the deal were good, if people used “common sense”. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph last week, the British leader said that the prospects of a year-end deal to avoid an abrupt Brexit separation were good if everybody “just exercised some common sense” and looked at the deal that is there to be done.

The EU and UK have acknowledged that time is running out if they are to achieve an agreement before the current Brexit transition period comes to an end, which is in December. However, Johnson has asserted that he was prepared to walk away from the negotiations if there was no agreement by the time of the next EU summit. 

Read: EU's Michel Barnier Says Bloc's Unity On Getting A Fair Brexit Deal Remains 'strong'

UK PM on no-deal exit 

Earlier, the British PM had said that a no-deal exit would be a “good outcome for the UK”, triggering strong reactions from the 27-member bloc. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had reacted by saying that a no-deal exit would undermine trust and break the international law. European Council President Charles Michel said that the Withdrawal Agreement was concluded and ratified by both sides and has to be applied in full. 

Germany’s European affairs minister Michael Roth had said that the UK needs to be more ‘realistic and pragmatic’ in the Brexit negotiations. He said that he was ‘disappointed’ over London drifting apart from the political declaration agreed between both sides as a reliable basis for the negotiations. 

(Image: AP) 

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