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25th Mar 2019

EU warns of “significant delays at the border” in completed preparations for no-deal Brexit

Conor Heneghan

Brexit deal

“It is increasingly likely that the United Kingdom will leave the European Union without a deal on 12 April.”

The European Commission has completed its preparations for a no-deal Brexit in the “increasingly likely” event that the United Kingdom leaves the European Union without a deal on 12 April.

Last week, the European Council agreed to extend the date of the UK’s departure date to 22 May 2019, provided the Withdrawal Agreement is approved by the House of Commons by Friday 29 March – the original scheduled date for the UK’s exit from the EU – at the latest.

It was also determined, however, that if the Withdrawal Agreement is not approved by the House of Commons by 29 March, the European Council has agreed to an extension until 12 April. In that scenario, the United Kingdom would be expected to indicate a way forward before this date.

On Monday, the European Commission issued a Brexit preparedness factsheet, outlining the practical consequences a “no-deal” scenario brings.

Of particular interest in the factsheet is a paragraph titled ‘A “no-deal” scenario’ in which it is outlined that, in a “no-deal” scenario, the UK will become a third country without any transitionary arrangements.

“In such a scenario, the UK’s relations with the EU would be governed by general international public law, including rules of the World Trade Organisation,” the factsheet reads.

“The EU will be required to immediately apply its rules and tariffs at its borders with the UK. This includes checks and controls for customs, sanitary and phytosanitary standards and verification of compliance with EU norms.”

Notably, it continues: “Despite the considerable preparations of the Member States’ customs authorities, these controls could cause significant delays at the border. UK entities would also cease to be eligible to receive EU grants and to participate in EU procurement procedures under current terms.

“Similarly, UK citizens will no longer be citizens of the European Union. They will be subject to additional checks when crossing borders into the European Union. Again, Member States have made considerable preparations at ports and airports to ensure that these checks are done as efficiently as possible, but they may nevertheless cause delays.”

The details about border checks follow on from an interview given by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to RTÉ Radio on Sunday, where he said: “The UK government has already indicated that in the event of no deal, the first thing they will do is treat Northern Ireland differently in terms of customs. That’s what will be required essentially.”

Varadkar said talks on the issue have already begun in a “preliminary and very rough way” and that “there is a real understanding of the unique situation we face in Ireland”.

For more information, check out the EU Commission’s Brexit Preparedness website.

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