Britain Willing to Sacrifice Fishermen’s Rights to Sell Weapons to EU

The United Kingdom is close to reaching a major trade deal with the European Union that will allow British defense companies to sell weapons to European allies.

European Pravda reported on this, citing The Times.

A summit between the EU and the United Kingdom is scheduled to take place in London on May 19 to discuss reducing trade barriers.

It is expected that after reaching an agreement with Brussels, British arms companies will be able to apply for the new €150 billion EU defense fund as part of the reset of relations. This comes after the UK made significant concessions to the EU regarding fishing rights.

British companies BAE Systems and Babcock were initially excluded from the fund, while Norway, Moldova, South Korea, Japan, Albania, and North Macedonia were included.

Ultimately, British negotiators softened their position on fishing and accepted the EU’s demands.

‘Now, the UK is ready to offer Brussels a new long-term agreement instead of annual negotiations, as was done between the EU and Norway, and freeze fishing quotas,’ the report states.

Economists point to the comparative size of the UK’s fishing and defense industries. The total value of British defense exports in 2023 was £14.5 billion, compared to £1.7 billion from fish sales.

Officials told The Times that while a draft declaration for the UK-EU summit was not yet available, it was expected to be ready by the week after.

‘The British are making the necessary concessions. This is a positive step and it shows maturity, which was lacking in the Brexit negotiations,’ said one EU diplomat.

In early March, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented a plan for rearmament and strengthening Europe’s military capabilities. Among other things, it includes providing €150 billion in loans to member states for defense investments.

Ukraine will also be able to join joint procurements, and the project will allow defense product purchases from Ukrainian manufacturers.