French President Emmanuel Macron said that Britain’s resolution to a fishing disagreement between the two nations would be a test of the United Kingdom’s (U.K.) credibility.
The two European countries are embroiled in a dispute over French fishing boats and permits, The Associated Press reported. The dispute, tied to a trade agreement between Britain and the European Union, requires permits for EU nations to fish in the U.K.’s surrounding waters, according to Euronews.
While many permits have been given to French fishing boats, a number of French boats are still without permits — an issue that Britain says is related to paperwork that has not yet been provided to its government.
In retaliation, France has said that trucks and boats would undergo more rigorous checks and that U.K. boats seeking to pass through the English Channel would be barred if permits are not given to the remaining fishing boats by Tuesday, the AP reported.
“Make no mistake, it is not just for the Europeans but all of their partners,” Macron told the Financial Times in an interview, according to the AP. “Because when you spend years negotiating a treaty and then a few months later you do the opposite of what was decided on the aspects that suit you the least, it is not a big sign of your credibility.”
“If there is a breach of the treaty or we think there is a breach of the treaty then we will do what is necessary to protect British interests,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told British news outlets, the AP noted.
President and chairman of the northern French ports of Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer Jean-Marc Puissesseau estimated in an interview with BBC radio that roughly 40 boats had yet to receive their permits.
This marks the latest dispute that the two countries have found themselves in; earlier this year, a deal between France and Australia was nixed after the U.K. and the United States announced that they would be helping Australia acquire nuclear submarines. In retaliation, the French ambassador to the U.S. was temporarily recalled.
On Friday, President Biden stressed that France is an ally and called the submarine deal “clumsy.”