Some new developments on the Brexit fish negotiations, which have proven so difficult:
1/ The focus now is not on the quota share but on access. On quota share, the EU is offering 15-18pc of the value of what EU fleets catch in UK waters, while the UK wants 80pc. That has been parked and there's big scrap on that to come.
2/ All the effort in the past few days has been on the question of access. The UK is demanding more abolute "control" over British waters by having the power to deny EU boats access on an annual basis when it comes to individual species.
3/ I understand this would be done via an annual negotiation on the Total Allowable Catch (TAC). This is basically the mechanism for determining the total catch of a species based on the scientific evidence, and is separate from the "quota share" yet to be divvied up
4/ The EU has an annual TAC negotiation every December under the Common Fisheries Policy.
5/ My understanding is that the UK is pressing for the ability to deny access if there is no agreement on the TAC level or individual species during each annual negotiation.
6/ The EU has always resisted an annual TAC negotiation. They have one with Norway, but they only share seven stocks with Norway whereas they share over 100 with the UK. So, if the EU agrees to annual TAC negotitaions this would be a concession
7/ At this morning's meeting of EU ambassadors, Barnier appeared to accept the concept of an annual TAC negotiation. But he emphasised that any deal would have to give EU fleets stability and predictability.
8/ In other words, why would EU fishermen invest in the industry if they were at risk of being denied access to certain parts of UK waters on an annual basis.
9/ "How do you guarantee predictability, stability, whilst still having annual negotiations, how can you have those guarantees which will allow you to sustain a fishing fleet?" says one official briefed on the meeting this morning.
10/ Barnier told ambassadors one option would be that the EU could impose tariffs on any stocks sold by UK fishermen into the single market if EU boats were denied access to those stocks, or the waters in which those stocks live
11/ I'm told these are still in the realm of "ideas" in the ether, and that he has not agreed this with the UK. Member states are said to have emphasised the need for stability - ie, no annual risk of being denied access that would destabilise the European fishing sector
12/ There are also suggestions of an independent arbitration process if the UK denied access based on the inability of both sides to agree TAC levels.
13/ There are further concerns that if EU boats were denied access to a particular species and that species lived in "mixed" fisheries zone, then the ban could extend to all stocks in that area, due to the risk of an EU vessel catching a "denied" fish. This has not been confirmed
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