Britain officially "Brexit" on January 31 this year, and entered an 11-month transition period, which will end on December 31. The French border police conducted a “dress rehearsal” this week on the procedures required for vehicles to enter France from the UK after the UK’s “Brexit” transition period (in the absence of an agreement), resulting in up to 5 miles (about 8 kilometers). ) Traffic jam. According to a New York Times report on the 25th, officials in both Britain and France have warned that the speed of crossing the English Channel will slow down as the police in Britain and France will conduct document checks at the borders of the two countries on January 1 next year. A spokesperson for Getlink, the company responsible for operating the Anglo-French undersea tunnel, said that in order to test the “resistance capability” of the country’s border inspection procedures after the “Brexit” of the United Kingdom, the French police implemented a 9-hour document inspection. According to reports, this "dress rehearsal" caused a five-mile traffic jam from the tunnel entrance to Kent in southern England, which lasted until the afternoon of the 25th local time.
Trucks lined up to enter the Anglo-French Undersea Tunnel
According to previous reports, if there is no agreement between Britain and Europe during the 11-month transition period, that is, before December 31 this year, the relationship between the two sides will return to the framework of the World Trade Organization from 2021. Re-implement border inspections and customs duties. British Prime Minister Johnson once said that he must prepare for a "no-deal Brexit". The EU has also stated that no matter what the outcome of the negotiations is, “changes” at the border are inevitable.
reported that this has a great impact on truck drivers who want to use the Anglo-French undersea tunnel to enter neighboring countries. In addition to obtaining new permits to enter these two markets, and providing additional information such as destination and duration of stay when transiting the border, they may also have to pay tariffs between Britain and France. And this "dress rehearsal" aroused the vigilance of local officials in Kent, who feared that the entry procedures would slow down after Britain's "Brexit", causing serious traffic interruptions and cargo backlogs. They also warned that because tens of thousands of trucks entered the UK through the tunnel, traffic jams might make Kent an "England's toilet."
It is reported that British and French officials have vowed to prepare for border crossings in a timely manner. The British government has pledged to strengthen border infrastructure and has invested more than 700 million pounds (about 6.1 billion yuan) to improve border inspection procedures and hire staff. Despite this, British government officials told the country’s parliamentarians in October that tens of thousands of British companies are not yet ready for possible border controls after Brexit, which may cause confusion.
According to previous reports, starting from the middle of this month, the EU-UK negotiating team continued to negotiate a future relationship centered on the trade agreement in Brussels. A spokesperson for the European Commission said earlier this week that the two sides have increased their negotiations. Strive to reach an agreement as soon as possible.
