Business, Feature, Freight News, Logistics

No borders for Ireland or Ulster as UK signs Brexit deal

[ December 8, 2017   //   Chris ]

There will be no ‘hard border’ between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, nor will there be any border in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, pledged Prime Minister Theresa May at the end of a negotiating session in Brussels.

The deal reached on the morning of 8 December, which also guarantees the rights of EU citizens living in the UK, is intended to allow talks with Brussels to move on to the next phase, including the future trading relationship with the EU.

According to the official statement issued after the deal was signed, the UK would restate “its commitment to the avoidance of a hard border, including any physical infrastructure or related checks and controls.”

It added: “In the absence of agreed solutions, the UK will maintain full alignment with those rules of the Internal Market and the Customs Union which, now or in the future, support North-South cooperation, the all-island economy and the protection of the 1998 Agreement.”

FTA Ireland (FTAI), while welcoming the deal, said that “with the clock ticking, it is time for clarification on the key issues of trade and tariff arrangements, as well as the border issue, if Irish business is to continue trading effectively with the UK and the rest of the EU.”

Reassurance that there would be no hard border on the island of Ireland was a positive step said FTAI general manager Aidan Flynn which “must now be reciprocated by the Irish transport and logistics sector rising to the challenge, continuing to collaborate to develop future solutions”.

It was now vital that the EU and UK negotiators give urgent priority to the transitional arrangements for trade, and clarify exactly what the new relationships will bring to all interested parties, he said.

The transitional period “will be gone in the blink of an eye, unless business is primed and ready to react”, added Flynn.

The UK Freight Transport Association (FTA) added: “There is an urgent need to now translate this good political will into action and to reach a swift agreement on a transitional deal providing clarity and certainty…to ensure that business can continue to operate efficiently and trade to flow freely to and from the UK.

Head of European Policy, Pauline Bastidon, stated: “Today’s announcement is the first block in the wall, but there is still much work to be done and clarification required on the key issues affecting trade and logistics and on the timelines that businesses will have to work to. As a first step, today’s recommendation by the European Commission needs to be validated by EU-27 leaders at the December European Council next week. Negotiators will then be able to agree the details of a transitional agreement, which is now an urgent priority.”

British Ports Association chief executive, Richard Ballantyne, said he remained concerned “that new customs requirements could cause particular challenges for ferry ports which handle tens of thousands HGVs travelling between the UK and the EU each day…We would encourage both sides to explore options that ensure the cross border solution for the Irish land border is replicated elsewhere in the UK, this would enable trade with Europe to pass as smoothly as possible through our ports.”

BIFA director-general, Robert Keen, said the association’s members “will be breathing a sigh of relief” over the deal  and that discussions on transitional arrangements and the future trading relationship with the EU can now commence.
He said: “The most pressing concern for our members has been the matter of the future trading relationship between the UK and the EU, especially Customs procedures post-Brexit, adding: “We are actively involved with HMRC and have always recommended that there needs to be wider engagement with all who are engaged in processing international trade to give them as much time as possible to prepare and to allay fears.”
Commenting on the agreement reached over the status of EU nationals residing in the UK post Brexit, he added: “EU migrants resident in the UK are a significant part of the workforce of many of our members. BIFA welcomes the fact that those EU migrants appear to have greater certainty about their future in this country and their status here.”

Tags: Brexit