Mon, 20 Jan 2025

Brexit fishing row heads for trade court showdown

The UK has banned European vessels from catching the silvery fish species in its North Sea waters but the EU is challenging the move.

* The UK and EU are heading to a three-day trade tribunal hearing over the UK's ban on fishing sandeel in North Sea waters.
* The EU claims the ban discriminates against Danish vessels that fish sandeel commercially, breaching the post-Brexit trade deal.
* The UK has banned European vessels from catching sandeel in its North Sea waters to protect marine wildlife that depend on it for food.
* The dispute centers on whether the UK's right to restrict trawlers for conservation reasons unnecessarily restricts agreed EU fishing rights.
* A panel of three international trade judges will hear the case, with a final ruling due by April 2025.
* If the EU loses, Brussels could retaliate with tariffs on British exports if ministers refused to comply with the ruling.
* The case is seen as significant because it marks the first time the two sides have gone to arbitration under the 2021 trade agreement agreed by Boris Johnson.
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