“Getting ready for changes: Communication on the readiness at the end of the transition between the European Union and United Kingdom” was the titled document published by the European Commission later last week – which will explain how operating between the UK and Europe will work once the Brexit process is fulfilled and the UK has left the single market. This outlines some of the consequences that both parties will face once the transition has been completed.
Haulage companies can continue to move livestock in the continent, however, as of January 31st – loads within the EU will face restrictions when being moved from the UK. This will also apply for flights, whether they are moving passengers or goods.
Customs formalities will face requirements under union law that “will apply to all goods entering the customs territory of the Union from the United Kingdom, or leaving that customs territory to the United Kingdom” even by the circumstance that free trade areas are agreed to and established. There will still be many restrictions in place for UK operators entering the EU and visa versa.
Private citizens will likely also face many of these customs formalities, the example of which will be a restricted period of time that they will be able to stay in the EU before they need to return to the UK – this could be of concern for many who have property in countries across Europe.
Private citizens will also be subject to customs formalities, and also to restrictions on the amount of time they can stay in the EU. This would also mean professional qualifications recognised in the UK could no longer be recognised within a country of the EU.
For hauliers, many have taken the time to express their concerns and the implications these terms could have for their businesses – considering international trade has been a normality for businesses across Europe and the UK for generations. With tensions consistently throughout trade talks – it seems as though some businesses will face challenges in the wake of the Brexit transition period being fulfilled.
It seems as though the public can begin to understand what a post-Brexit UK and EU relation could look like and some of the ways which there could be implications in the future. For the haulage industry, time is running short for drivers to adapt to these changes – on-top of overcoming the recent troubles through a pandemic, more challenges may await your average haulier after January 1st, 2021.