The border police and customs will be ready to ensure the transit of travelers and goods to the United Kingdom when it leaves the common market after January 1, ministers Clément Beaune and Olivier Dussopt assured on Thursday December 10. “We are ready», Declared Secretary of State for European Affairs Clément Beaune, after a visit to the Eurostar cross-Channel high-speed train terminal, Gare du Nord in Paris.
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«We will obviously check until the last hour of the last day that our preparations are there. But it is important to check in the ports, in the stations, in the airports that we are ready for this change which will occur in any case on January 1st.“, he said. “Whatever happens, on January 1st we will be in a different universe whether there is an agreement or there is no agreement with the UK», Remarked Mr. Beaune, referring to the difficult negotiations underway on Brexit between London and Brussels.
«From 1 January (…) Great Britain becomes a third country», Added Minister Delegate in charge of Public Accounts Olivier Dussopt. “It means checks, air and border police checks (…), it also means a change in the conditions of goods passage.»
The Gare du Nord in particular “will review all its signage on the evening of December 31 to welcome its passengers and guide them in good conditions” he added. The move to the UK is unlikely to change too much for EU citizens, who will be able to continue to use Parafe automatic passport control systems. There will then be random customs checks, before boarding or during the journey. A decree is expected by the end of the year to allow British citizens to continue using Parafe, noted Commissioner-General Pierre-Henri Digeon, head of the National Rail Police Service. Their passport will be stamped when leaving the Schengen area – as when entering the other way -, he added. British authorities, on the other hand, should not stamp European passports. Europeans will be able to travel to the United Kingdom for three months without formalities. The British have not yet decided whether they will require a visa for a longer period, noted Beaune. In any event, they will have to have a passport from October 1, 2021. The identity card will no longer be sufficient to cross the Channel.
«Our device is ready, and it is (…) calibrated to deal with normal traffic“, Noted Olivier Dussopt, recalling in particular that the State had”recruited 600 additional customs officers to deal with Brexit».
The low level of traffic due to the pandemic allows a kind of break-in while waiting for better days, recognized the ministers. Eurostar – a subsidiary of SNCF – currently only carries 5% of regular travelers, according to its managing director Jacques Damas.
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