Fishing companies protested to the British Parliament against bureaucracy

Fishing companies protested to the British Parliament against bureaucracy

About a dozen lorries owned by British fishing companies gathered in London on Monday in front of the UK Parliament building to protest the Brexit-related bureaucracy. British fishing communities have been among the strongest supporters of Brexit, but less than three weeks after the UK's final break with the European Union, they say they are facing bankruptcy and attributing it to the new post-Brexit bureaucracy. British government officials told fishermen last week that these were just "initial problems" that would soon be resolved. Negotiations on a trade agreement between Britain and the EU have long been tied to the issue of fisheries. Many British fishermen supported Brexit because it promised the United Kingdom a chance to abandon the EU's complex fishing quota system and regain control of who can fish in British waters. Under a new trade agreement reached last month, the EU's share of catches in British waters will fall by 25 percent over a transitional 5.5-year period. Subsequently, both parties will have to agree on new quotas. Britain's exit from the EU single market means new costs and bureaucracy for exporters. This is a big problem in the British Isles, as the country exports most of its catches. Although the agreement allows Britain and the EU to trade without quotas or tariffs, the situation is far from the smooth trade that Britain could enjoy when it was part of the Union. In addition, companies in Britain face new expenses and bureaucracy, including customs declarations and border controls. Several companies are circumventing these obligations by reloading their catches in EU member states. The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared that if the fishing companies incurred losses, the government would compensate them. However, he did not provide details. However, according to British politician George Eustice, you just have to get used to the new rules. "Once people get used to these paperwork, the goods will flow normally," he said.