In the UK, parliamentary report highlights lack of Brexit preparation

A British parliamentary report on Saturday 19 December warned of the insufficient preparation of the United Kingdom for its exit from the single European market and the customs union on 31 December, worrying about the expected disruptions in ports and security implications.

“With only seven working days until the end of the transition period, significant concerns remain, said Hilary Benn, Labor MP chairing the parliamentary committee on Brexit. The government is still not in a position to tell with certainty to businesses, traders and citizens what will happen in all areas affected by the negotiations. “

“Companies exporting to the European Union will be faced with more paperwork, forms which they are not used to and additional costs from 1^er January whatever happens ”whether or not a free trade agreement is concluded, he warned.

The country could experience “the worst possible start to the year”

Yes “Progress has been made”, the committee is concerned about disruptions in ports, and expresses its concerns about the security of the United Kingdom, which will no longer have access to the databases of European security forces.

The report stresses that the government must have emergency measures “Solid” ready for the 1^er January. A government failure on this would mean for many people and businesses “The worst possible start to the year”, in an already difficult period due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the opposition MP.

He also considers that there is little time left for companies to train themselves in the use of the computerized customs declaration system, and insists on the need to have adequately trained customs personnel, and in sufficient numbers. “If the right people are not in the right place at the right time, businesses and traders will be faced with a difficult task”, notes this commission.

Finally, MEPs note the risks of difficulties around the ports in Northern Ireland, the only British territory to have a land border with a member state of the European Union, the Republic of Ireland, despite the agreement recently reached between London and Brussels on this subject.