The UK plans to abandon the introduction of border and customs controls on the border with Ireland and, after Brexit, to regulate relations with the European Union by a free trade agreement. With a corresponding proposal, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson turned to the EU President Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday.
“The previous proposals (of Britain to introduce a special regime on the border, the so-called” back stop”) are not in the interests of the current government. We intend to build future relations (with the EU) on the basis of a free trade agreement that will give Britain the opportunity to control its own trade policy and regulation. In this vein, a special regime is a bridge to nowhere, we should find a new way to solve the problem”, – says Johnson Juncker, a letter circulated by the Prime Minister’s Office.
British Prime Minister offers Brussels to conclude a trade agreement by 2020, in this document he plans to spell out all mechanisms of interaction with the EU and, most importantly, ways to quickly organize control over the movement of goods across the border with Ireland. In fact, Johnson proposes to replace the introduction of a special customs-border regime with a goods declaration system and partial cargo inspections at ports.
According to the proposal, Northern Ireland, as part of the United Kingdom, will leave the EU customs union after Brexit, but will remain for the next four years under the rules governing the single market with Ireland. During this period, no checks of goods and control over the movement of goods will be carried out at the land border. After this period, Northern Ireland will become a full-fledged part of the British customs zone.
Johnson promises not to introduce total customs control over the movement of goods between Britain and Ireland. The British government proposes to synchronize regulations and standards, as well as introduce the practice of preliminary declaration of goods according to a simplified procedure, without issuing full declarations for import and export.
Special conditions for the transport of goods are proposed to be extended to small businesses.
The issue of special customs treatment was the main problem, because of which the British parliament refused to approve the terms of the deal with the EU. Johnson, who has come forward with new proposals, hopes that the EU will accept them, paving the way for parliament to approve the final agreement.
Britain should leave the EU on October 31. Earlier, parliament passed a law according to which the prime minister should request a postponement of Brexit if the deal is not agreed before October 19.