France fined by EU court over illegal fishing
The European Court of Justice has handed the largest fine on a government in the EU slapping France with a 20m penalty because its fishermen have been flouting Europes fishing regulations for 14 years.
The Scotsman reports the judges also imposed a fine of £212 000 a day which the French Government will have to pay after six months should its authorities fail to curb illegal fishing in French waters. The ruling came after EU inspections at French ports found that France was not complying with a 1991 court order to bring an end to the illegal catching of undersized fish. Full report in The Scotsman