Delay to EES is welcomed but there is still more for new government to focus on to smooth EU border arrangements, says Logistics UK’s Policy Director Kevin Green

With summer holiday traffic expected to build at Channel ports from this weekend, Logistics UK – as the body representing the industry across the UK – is urging Keir Starmer’s government to prioritise sorting the issues which have yet to be solved about moving goods across the UK’s borders.

In addition, the group is pressing for urgent action to smooth the introduction of the European Union (EU) Entry and Exit System (EES), which will apply to GB nationals entering the EU from Britain from autumn this year.

While the European Commission said this week that the proposed October launch date will be delayed, it has not confirmed when the new rules will come into operation, although it “foresees that the entry-exit system will be ready to enter into operation in Autumn 2024”.

It is essential for EES to be introduced as smoothly as possible otherwise, as Kevin Green, Logistics UK’s policy director explains, delays at the UK’s borders could be commonplace, not simply an occasional inconvenience at the start of the holiday season:

“We had been discussing how the UK’s borders with Europe are to work effectively with the Conservative government for some time,” he explains, “but important clarifications and decisions have still not been addressed.

“This now means that the issue is a critical one that needs urgent action from the new government, not least because the disruption caused by the introduction of Operation Brock to roads in Kent will become the rule, rather than the exception, adding time and cost to journeys to the Channel ports.”

Top of the industry’s concerns is the introduction of the new EES which will see all non-EU passengers, both private and commercial, needing to undergo biometric scanning at the UK’s juxtaposed borders at the Short Straits, a critical UK EU supply chain route.

This will result in additional processing time at the border which means longer queues, congestion and delays.

“The strategic road network in Kent is already fragile," continues Green. "If the new EES is introduced in autumn 2024, with no ability to register in advance via an app, or without a phased approach to implementation, to take pressure away from the border, then freight and trade will be severely impacted.

“The clock is ticking and there is an urgent need for the new government to accelerate diplomatic engagement with the French government and European Commission to ensure measures are in place to mitigate the impact. There is no time to waste if the movement of goods between the UK and EU is to remain as frictionless as possible.

“As traffic increases as a result of summer holidays, some delays to freight movements are inevitable, but our members need and deserve government to take a pragmatic approach and work closely with our European neighbours to iron out the potential problems the new system will cause that our industry has been highlighting since the Brexit vote:”

With EES set to add time and complexity to all journeys across the border with the EU (both for commercial and consumer passengers), Logistics UK is urging government to iron out the other problems in the Border Target Operating Model which it has already identified for those moving goods before EES is introduced:

“Unfortunately, the previous government did not address the complexity and urgency of the issues that still need to be resolved around the UK’s borders,” continues Green.

“As an island nation, reliant on trading relationships with our European neighbours for many of the items we need every day, there is now not a moment to lose: our industry needs the new government to take urgent steps to address the outstanding issues that could otherwise derail the UK’s supply chain and make it harder for logistics businesses to support the rebuilding of the economy and return to growth that our industry is committed to.”

Published On: 18/07/2024 16:30:33

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