In The Hague on January 28 (Reuters) - European Union lawyers argued on Tuesday before an arbitration tribunal that the UK's ban on sandeel fishing in its North Sea waters violates a post-Brexit fishing rights agreement between the two sides.
This legal proceeding represents the first court appearance for both parties since the UK exited the EU in 2020. The case has the potential to complicate the Labour government's intended "reset" of relations with the bloc.
Anthony Dawes, representing the EU, stated at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, We are here today because the UK's prohibition of all sandeel fishing in its North Sea waters undermines the rights granted to the European Union.
The tribunal will examine over three days whether the UK's ban infringes upon the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). A final ruling by the three legal experts from France, New Zealand, and South Africa is expected by late April.
While the financial impact of the case is minor, with a potential revenue loss of £45 million ($56.3 million) for non-UK vessels in the worst-case scenario, the political implications are significant.
The tribunal's decision to uphold or reject the ban for violating the TCA could lead to EU retaliatory actions if the ban persists. This could provoke tensions among environmentalists and proponents of Brexit, potentially pressuring the UK's Labour government not to concede, hindering efforts to improve ties with the EU.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to meet EU leaders next Monday to discuss enhanced defense cooperation against Russia and address U.S. President Donald Trump's call for increased military spending by NATO members.
In the upcoming months, Britain plans to address various issues, including negotiating a veterinary agreement with the EU to facilitate agricultural and food trade. The UK defends the fishing ban based on scientific research concerning the sandeel species' resilience and its importance in the food chain of larger fish, marine mammals, and seabirds like puffins.
While British vessels don't harvest the eel-like fish, Danish fleets do, utilizing it as animal feed and a source of oil. The EU argues that the ban is discriminatory, disproportionate, and lacks solid scientific backing, contending that it unjustly restricts EU vessels' access to UK waters as specified in the TCA. ($1 = 0.7998 pounds)