France’s authorities wanted to drive out British banks as an answer to the limitations introduced by London in relation to the catch of fish in their waters, writes Bloomberg.
Possible response measures said the French Deputy Minister for European Clement Bon. According to him, Paris suspects Great Britain in non-compliance with its own obligations under the Brexit. They concern the provision of free access to the British territorial water to fishing vessels from EU countries.
Despite this, London did not give a license for fish catch, to which French fishermen had already complained. As one of the most likely response measures, France considers a ban on the work of British financial institutions, including banks, in the territory of their country.
Bon was one of the brightest Brexit opponents and EU preservation supporters in the French government. Despite opposition to his like-minded people, the United Kingdom came out of the Union in January 2020. By the end of the same year, a special transitional period acted, during which most of the previous rules were preserved. Since 2021, the UK and EU relations are governed by the provisions of the bilateral agreement on Brexit.
In the preceding Brexit years, many European financial organizations moved their headquarters from London to countries of Continental Europe. Some politicians spoke of the possible difficulties in the work of British banks in the European Union, but at the moment there are no obstacles for it.