Monday, January 4th, 2021
Movement of goods after Brexit
Still no chaos in Calais and Dover
Many experts had predicted chaos at the ferry ports and the rail line between Great Britain and continental Europe. But that still does not happen. At the borders you show yourself calm. The big test is yet to come.
Border traffic between Calais in France and Dover in Great Britain started smoothly at the beginning of the first working week of the new year. There were neither traffic jams nor other difficulties, said the operators of the Eurotunnel and the port of Calais. "Everything is going very well," said a spokesman for the tunnel operator Getlink. This is exactly what many observers and experts feared for the post-Brexit period.
Great Britain left the EU on February 1, 2020, after a transition period of eleven months, membership of the EU internal market and the customs union ended on Friday night. Since then, according to Getlink, almost 3000 trucks have passed through the Eurotunnel. "Only two trucks were turned back," said the Getlink spokesman. The drivers were asked to complete the necessary formalities on site.
There were no problems in the port of Calais either, as deputy head Benoit Rochet said. However, traffic is also very low – on Monday, for example, only 21 ferries should leave, usually more than 30. The port expects a gradual increase in border traffic in the coming days.
Millions invested, hundreds hired
The Prefect of the Haut-de-France region, Michel Lalande, spoke of a "rather successful" start. "I believe that Brexit, at least for the French ports, at least so far, is a success." The state and the companies affected by the border traffic between Great Britain and France have invested 40 million euros in order to regulate border traffic as smoothly as possible after Brexit. Around 700 additional employees were hired.
The post-Brexit agreement between Great Britain and the EU, which regulates numerous trade and customs issues, was agreed at the last minute on December 24th. For the first time in decades there are border controls and a lot of paperwork for the shipping companies. The contract prevented worse things – without it there would have been no regulations for the various groups of goods and goods. In addition, tariffs would have been due which, thanks to the agreement, will still not exist.
For the first days after Brexit, however, little trade was expected in advance. Many companies increased their stocks in December to avoid bottlenecks due to the new controls in January.
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