£190m fishing deal with Norway to secure 'healthy and viable' marine environment
BRITAIN has reached an agreement with Norway and the European Union on catch limits for fish stocks in the North Sea.
The deal is estimated to be worth £190million to the UK fishing industry in 2022. Fisheries Minister Victoria Prentis said: "We are confident that this agreement has struck a balance that will benefit both our fishing industry and ensure our marine environment is healthy and viable long into the future."
It comes after France threatened to ask the EU to begin litigation proceedings in its separate, ongoing row over licences for its fishermen in British waters. The European Commission had demanded that the dispute be settled by yesterday but Downing Street said it did not recognise the deadline.
France says Britain has not handed out enough licences to its fishermen while the UK Government has insisted the overwhelming majority of applications have been granted.
French seas minister, Annick Girardin, said if the deadlock remained by last night, France would request a meeting of the partnership council, which oversees the implementation of the Brexit agreement, to "note the UK's failure to respect its signature".
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