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Katya Adler

1 Nov, 11 tweets, 2 min read

On fish and the Castex letter : The French PM did not call for the UK to be punished or damaged over Brexit BUT EU figures I speak to, accept the way the letter is written leaves it open to that interpretation /1

Privately, representatives of other EU member states describe the letter as ‘unfortunate’ or worse, considering the already high tensions between France and UK over fish and UK and wider EU over Protocol BUT /2

Despite a clear sense (and some irritation) in EU that Macron has been using the row over fish to flash his nationalist credentials ahead of Presidential elections in France, there is also some wider EU sympathy for French position. Trust in UK gov is v low in EU circles /3

Reps of other fishing nations in EU say: “Today it’s a Franco/UK row over fish. Tomorrow it could be us (Spain/NL or others) who feel UK not fulfilling its obligation towards us under post Brexit Trade and Co-op Agreement” /4

Privately, some member states also applaud France standing tough over licenses and threatening retaliation eg introducing more onerous goods checks +not allowing UK fishermen to unload their catch in French ports as of tomorrow if outstanding fishing licenses not granted by UK /5

“We keep offering the UK practical solutions after Brexit, like over the NIreland Protocol” one diplomat from key EU country told me. “So It’s kind of good that the French at least are seen to stand up to the UK when it breaks its word.” /6

The diplomat went on to say the French were talking of trialling retaliatory measures the EU would consider using in case the UK suspends significant parts of the NIreland Protocol which Brexit Minister Lord Frost has kept a live possibility for months /7

Lord Frost insists he’d still prefer a joint EU-UK solution over the Protocol. As for fishing, the UK says it would be France breaking the post Brexit trade deal if it introduces retaliatory measures over licenses- most of which the gov says it has awarded French fishermen /8

So: tomorrow is a big day. Neither France, nor the UK will want to lose face over the fishing row but there is a lot at stake here . If it escalates further the row will likely have ramifications for wider EU-UK relations, possibly trade relations and the Protocol /9

After Macron’s meeting with the PM yesterday, the Elysee Palace seemed keen to stress solutions could be found. Important to see if retaliatory measures are introduced tomorrow, how symbolic/far-reaching? Do French close 1 or 2 ports to UK fishermen and leave it at that or ../10

Do they go big? The UK has threatened legal action. The impact of all this could be considerable - as I write here: bbc.co.uk/news/world-eur…

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Katya Adler

@BBCkatyaadler

12 Oct

Little appetite in EU capitals for trade war with UK. Berlin focussing on building new government, Everyone worrying about gas prices. Lord Fost’s Lisbon speech is no game changer for the EU, it seems BUT tensions over NIreland Protocol are very real /1

EU and UK agree the Protocol hasnt been working in many ways on the ground. Tomorrow the EU will unveil what it calls practical solutions to concrete problems - Ways to reduce checks on goods and animal products (eg sausages!), ensuring medicines travel smoothly GB-NI and /2

EU will I’m told undertake to engage more w the authorities as well as business + civil society in NIreland. EU will underline tomorrow these are proposals to help people of NIreland. Brussels keen not to be seen to bend to what one EU diplomat described to me as “bullying /3

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Katya Adler

@BBCkatyaadler

26 Sep

Voting has begun in Germany to elect a new parliament (polls open 8am – 6pm CET). It’s almost the end of the Merkel era in German politics after 16 years as Chancellor BUT .. #GermanElection2021 /1

Today’s vote is just stage one in the process to form Germany’s next government. The country is preparing itself for lengthy and possibly fractious coalition negotiations. Angela Merkel will remain caretaker chancellor in the interim /2

The What Next after Merkel has proved hard to predict. Race to replace her is expected to be tight: between Armin Laschet a Europhile conservative from her CDU party and Olaf Scholz – a centrist Social Democrat + Germany’s current Finance Minister. The Green Party is tipped.. /3

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Across Europe, royal family members and heads of state have been expressing their condolences. Prince Philip‘s ‘Europe Connection’ dates from the very beginning #PrincePhilip /1

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22 Mar

Latest YouGov poll suggests in EU ‘Big Four’ - Italy, Spain, Germany, France - more people believe the AstraZeneca jab to be unsafe than safe. A big drop over 2 weeks #covid /1

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Katya Adler

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15 Mar

The EU has started formal legal action against the UK over the government decision to unilaterally delay checks on some goods coming into NIreland from Great Britain. The European Commission accuses the U.K. of breaking international law - the Brexit deal signed by both sides /1

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Katya Adler

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4 Mar

EU official dismisses attempts to “try to make the EU look like the bad guys for blocking the export of vaccines from pharma companies that haven’t honoured their contractual obligations with the EU” /1

Defending Italy’s controversial move today to bloc 250,000 AZ vaccines going to Australia, the official said “Zero” AstraZeneca vaccines had been exported to EU from the 2 factories in the U.K. He added that US had a de facto ban on vaccine exports in place but /2

He said the EU allowed many exports of vaccines out of the bloc. He countered my question about whether blocking exports wld damage the EU’s reputation internationally and insisted “other countries” (outside EU) were skilled at glossing over their own de facto export bans /3

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