France willing to push U.K. fishing talks past deadline

France is willing to extend talks with the U.K. over fishing licenses beyond the Friday deadline if the British give a sign of good faith, European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune said.

“We won’t get all the licenses that we have a right to between now and tonight,” Beaune said on France Info radio. “If the British say today, and this isn’t a scientific number, ‘we’ll give you a few dozen additional licenses as a good-faith gesture to show that the dialogue is bearing fruit and we’re interested in continuing,’ we’ll take that into account and make an evaluation with the European Commission and perhaps we’ll continue.”

If the British refuse, France will ask the commission over the weekend to begin legal proceedings, Beaune said.

Ties between Britain and France have been strained since the U.K. left the European Union, with disagreements ranging from fishing licenses to trade rules in Northern Ireland.