Fish was on the menu for Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen – and not just as one of the key issues of the Brexit talks.
As part of their starter at the Wednesday dinner at the Berlaymont in Brussels, the two leaders dined on one of the most contentious subjects of the negotiations: scallops.
British and French fishermen have clashed over access rights to scallop beds in the Baie de Seine, off the coast of Normandy in northern France. No deal on fishing could lead to skirmishes on the seas similar to the 2018 “scallop wars”.
Fishing was one of three items on the agenda that the chief negotiators prepared, on which teams have yet to find a breakthrough.
Negotiations are thought to be close on the level of access for EU boats to seas within the UK’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone, with a transition period for phasing in changes. But David Frost, the UK’s chief negotiator, tabled new demands on Sunday about the ownership of vessels in British seas.
After the starter of pumpkin soup and scallops, another seafood dish was served for main course, perhaps to keep the easily diverted Johnson on message. This time it was turbot, also found in British waters, served steamed with mashed potatoes with wasabi and vegetables.
Turbot is one of the demersal fish that the UK is happy to include in a deal – unlike mackerel, a pelagic fish, which the UK has suggested should be removed from talks.
Dessert was the less controversial pavlova with fruit and coconut sorbet – though a dish that sounds suspiciously like an exotic take on an Eton mess.
The two leaders had an extremely limited choice of places to dine in Brussels. Belgium is in lockdown until 13 December, with cafes and restaurants closed. Apart from the catering at the European commission’s headquarters, the only other option would have been hotel room service.
Still, such an alternative might have been more imaginative than Wednesday’s dinner. The starter sounded strikingly similar to what was offered to Johnson during his last visit to Brussels in October 2019: scallops with pumpkin mousse.
