London, UK: The EU has rejected attempts by the UK government to bypass Brussels on post-Brexit trade rules. The European Commission warned the UK that contacting each country directly was “outside” the terms of the Brexit trade deal.
The rebuke comes as the UK government came under pressure from EU and British businesses to spell out exactly how the latest controls on imports, due to come into force in October, will work. Trade experts also said it had been “unwise” to try to go round Brussels chiefs, and that it was indicative of a “still-struggling relationship” ahead of another mountain of red tape for businesses across the continent to navigate.
Britain’s food and logistics leaders have warned the coming wave of post-Brexit red tape could cause disruption and be inflationary. Shane Brennan, chief executive, Cold Chain Federation, warned that there was still “a lot of uncertainty and confusion” among European businesses about the certificates they will need and how border controls will operate. “They’re not confident it will go smoothly,” he said.
He added that the “unhelpful friction” had come at a time when UK businesses and port chiefs are “livid” that they don’t have enough information from the government on how the import checks are supposed to work. “There’s going to be a period of disruption and paralysis,” he told The Independent. “There’s still so many unanswered questions; yet again, we’re going to have to deal with it when it comes. It’s a complete mess.”
Brennan said it still isn’t clear exactly which types of food and agricultural goods will fall into the low, medium and high-risk categories, each of which demands a different set of controls – although Defra has provided outlines as part of the “target operating model”.
He also said it isn’t yet clear which digital forms will have to be uploaded to the British government website from 31 October, given that the autumn start date is supposed to represent a “soft launch” and that some physical inspections won’t begin until January.
An EU official said: “It is up to the UK to draw up a workable import regime, taking into account the significant volume of exports from the EU to the UK. “Nevertheless, the commission is in close contact with the UK authorities and member states in order to understand the consequences and requirements resulting from the future implementation of the ‘Border Target Operating Model’ for the EU.”
