“Portugal, directly, will have no major consequences if the exit takes place. Indirectly, it will have, because the fishing in the United Kingdom, […] is often used to make [trade] with other countries,” the head of Portugal’s shipowners’ association, Pedro Jorge Silva, told Lusa News Agency.
Silva, explained that the European Union (EU) has used fishing opportunities in the UK, sometimes to make a trade with countries such as Norway, and Portugal is one of the beneficiaries of this agreement.
In turn, the head of Portugal’s national association of seine fishing producers organisations (ANOP – Cerco), Humberto Jorge, said that at this time Brexit is not a concern.
“This association’s fishermen work 100 percent in national waters, even in territorial waters,” he said. “In terms of our activity, [Brexit] will have no impact.”
According to him, depending on how the negotiations go, the impact could be felt in the long- term in terms of exports.
The UK’s departure from the EU is scheduled for March 2019, three years after the referendum that saw 52 percent of the British people voting in favour of Brexit.