The British government is again delaying the introduction of full customs controls on goods transport between Ireland and Great Britain. Controls on incoming goods from the European Union, especially for food and agricultural products, will come into effect on January 1. The latest British statement says nothing about customs controls on transport across the Channel.
London says checks to and from Ireland cannot be carried out while the Northern Ireland Protocol is still under negotiation. The British have moved that date twice before to talk to the EU about the exceptional position for the British province of Northern Ireland on the island of Ireland. That postponement has so far accepted the EU, but the British are keeping the previous customs agreements. The EU has not yet responded to the most recent postponement.
During the Brexit negotiations, the British government negotiated an exception ("unlimited access") for goods entering Britain from Northern Ireland, but a year after leaving the EU it is still unclear how this promise will work in practice. will be fulfilled.
The UK government is pushing for sweeping changes to the protocol – which covers the transport of goods from Britain to Northern Ireland – arguing that the controls required are harmful to business and fuel tensions in the community.
UK EU Secretary of State Frost said implementing such controls would be particularly complex due to specific “unrestricted access” provisions for goods from Northern Ireland, and the current standstill arrangements for the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
He also said that customs controls cannot be introduced while negotiations on the protocol are still underway. Mr Frost said those negotiations will not be finalized by January 1.
Last month, a British government spending watchdog said the UK is far from ready to introduce controls on all EU imports next year. It warned that UK ports do not yet have the infrastructure needed to carry out such checks.
Import and border controls are already in place in the United Kingdom for a limited number of goods, such as alcohol, tobacco, (bio)fuels, fishery products, live animals and 'high-risk agricultural goods' such as trees and perennials. The latter categories require a veterinary or phytosanitary health certificate from an inspection in the country of origin.