French blockade cuts Channel links for 3rd day

Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at 10:26 PM Posted by Beijing News


A blockade of Channel ports by French fishermen angry at EU quotas cut ferry links with Britain for a third day Thursday despite a court order to end the protest and a French government offer of funds.

There were fears the Channel Tunnel could be blocked in support of the movement, after fishermen's representatives expressed disappointment following a meeting late Wednesday with Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Michel Barnier in Paris.

Barnier announced four million euros 5.3 million dollars in aid to fishermen in the north of France, but no changes to EU quotas, after four hours of talks.

The representatives of fishermen from the ports of Calais, Boulogne and Dunkirk announced after the meeting that they would continue the blockade pending consultations with their members on Thursday, with most saying they were disappointed that they had not obtained an increase in catch quotas.

The minister told a press conference that the funds, to be made available by June 30, would cover a temporary halt to fishing in the zone by boats nearing the limits of their quotas.

While European Union fishing quotas would not be changed in 2009, as the European Commission was opposed, Barnier said he would be holding a meeting "in a fortnight" with EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg.

Barnier added, however, that a court-ordered lifting of the blockade of the busy Channel ferry ports of Calais and Boulogne was "the responsibility of the fishermen" themselves.

He also announced loans of up to 50 million euros that would be made available to indebted fishing companies.

A French court ordered the fishing fleets to lift their blockade of Boulogne and Calais or face heavy fines for each hour of lost business for the ports, according to a lawyer acting for French and British ferry companies.

Union leaders, however, vowed to defy the ruling and maintain the protest.

Some 500 independent fishermen, who say their livelihood is under threat from European Union limits on their catch, have stopped ships entering or leaving Calais, Boulogne and Dunkirk since Tuesday.

The 100-strong flotilla halted all cross-Channel ferry and freight traffic, with port and transport authorities urging car and truck drivers to delay their journey or choose an alternative route.

But there were threats of more serious disruption as workers at French ferry company SeaFrance threatened to block access to the Channel Tunnel out of solidarity with the fishermen.

"If they reach no deal with the government and if the port is still blockaded, we'll go and block the tunnel on Thursday morning, until there is a deal," said a CFDT union leader at the firm, Eric Verckourtre.

British ferry operator P and O said it planned to seek compensation from French authorities over business lost due to the blockade -- which it said was costing it a million pounds 1.5 million dollars, 1.1 million euros a day.

A lawyer for P and O and its French counterpart LD Lines filed a suit before a court in Boulogne, which ordered the fishermen to lift their siege.

Lawyer Gerard Barron said the fishermen would be fined 1,000 euros 880 pounds per hour per ship in the case of Calais and 5,000 euros per ship per hour in Boulogne until they end their siege.

But the fishermen accuse Brussels of seeking to destroy small-scale fishing operations by setting unrealistic quotas.



A view of a mosque in Cairo during sunset. REUTERS/Tarek Mostafa

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