The UK government is not proposing to restrict the flow of goods INTO the UK, nor is the EU proposing to restrict the flow of goods OUT of the the EU.
That poses a set of questions, but not the ones that are being asked; there have been warnings about Britain running short of food after Brexit, due to customs delays. But there has been no threat of sanctions against the UK, so what is this all about?
More relevant was an article last week in the Guardian described the problem of reinstatement of customs at Rotterdam. EU rules will require customs checks on goods from Britain at every port. However, there does not seem to be any corresponding need to do the same thing at Harwich and Felixstowe, nor does the UK government appear to have the inclination to commit the considerable resources.
Likewise, passengers arriving at E27 destinations from the UK will theoretically have to declare goods purchased in the UK. I can envisage being made to queue for customs checks on returning home to Gothenburg after a visit to the UK. If day trippers to Dieppe are liable to be frisked by French customs, what will that do for the economy of Dieppe?
The problem is one primarily for the EU. It arises because of the way the Single Market is constructed. Why is nobody picking this up?
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I don't think there are many non-EEA destinations served from GOT airport (quick search shows Turkey, Egypt, Iran, Iraq from where there may be other concerns besides underdeclared goods), but I frequently fly into Stockholm (ARN) from outside the EU, mainly Asia, and never seen any customs officials. If UK arrivals are to be routinely checked it would mean the UK has been relegated below rather than on the same level as the rest of the world.
Agreed. I have asked the same question many a time. There are two sides to each border, which can look completely different on either side (old Iron Curtain, for example).
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