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The European Commission has said that the UK now needs to start immediate construction work on the customs posts required in order to carry out the necessary trade checks with Northern Ireland from January 1st 2021 onwards.
This is when the Brexit transition period is expected to come to an end, with the new controls set to start, the Independent reports.
A statement issued to member states read that every implementation measure that could potentially require the set-up of new facilities will need to begin immediately to make sure that all the relevant facilities are up and running on January 1st.
However, the pandemic crisis means that there is now uncertainty in the UK regarding which construction projects can get underway and which can continue with social distancing measures in place.
Under the withdrawal agreement that Boris Johnson negotiated, new bureaucracy and trade checks will be introduced between different parts of the UK – on goods moving between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, in both directions.
During the 2019 election, Mr Johnson made the false claim that there would be no extra checks on trade within the UK under the deal, although it had already been written into the agreement he signed.
The Brexit transition period will not be extended, so there is no more time for the country to implement the withdrawal agreement before it leaves the EU.
The EC has also warned that the UK now has around 30 days to begin a major upgrade of its VAT and customs computer systems required to process new checks within the country.
“In order to ensure full functionality and interoperability of relevant systems by 1 January, commission services and the UK administration need to be working together at full speed and be ready for the necessary technical implementations, which in our technical assessment need to start by 1 June at the very latest,” it was noted.
This comes after Norbert Rottgen, chair of the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee, explained in an interview with the Observer that Boris Johnson will now have to extend the Brexit transition for up to two years in order to avoid exacerbating the economic damage of the pandemic with a disruptive and disorderly exit from the EU.
He observed that it was now impossible to see how EU member states and the UK could agree to minimal free trade agreements in 2020, given the fact that the talks are now so behind schedule.
The transition period is to come to an end on December 31st, unless the UK requests a prolongation by June 30th.
Under the terms of the withdrawal agreement, the maximum extension would be two years – and Mr Rottgen said the most sensible option would be for the UK to apply for the extension so as to avoid causing even more damage to both British and European economies.
Once lockdown is over, get in touch with Burflex if you need scaffolders in York to help you get your construction project off the ground.
