Eurostar travel disruption forecast in latest Brexit advice
October 13, 2018
From international trains to Netflix access — more areas of everyday life have been listed if Britain crashes out of the EU without an agreement. DW takes a look at some of the UK government's latest Brexit notices.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/L. van Lieshout
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The British government has been issuing advice on how citizens should prepare for life in the event of a no-deal Brexit after March next year.
In the event of a no-deal Brexit, Eurostar travel between London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam could face disruption. The British government said it may have to negotiate new terms and conditions with individual countries, and that passengers should take out insurance.
Rail safety
According to one of the 76 no-deal Brexit notices issued on Friday, UK-based train operators running domestic services in an EU country will have to re-apply for a safety certificate. This rule will also be applicable to new operators wishing to run new services in an EU country.
Consumer rights
A no-deal Brexit would mean an absence of legal protection for UK consumers if they buy a product from an EU member state which turns out to be faulty. "There will no longer be reciprocal obligations on the UK or EU member states to investigate breaches of consumer laws or take forward enforcement actions," a notice said.
There's a spectrum of options on Britain's future relationship with the EU, each with a distinct set of advantages and disadvantages. While euroskeptic purists favor a clean "hard Brexit," others favor a softer landing.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R.Vieira/W.Rothermel
Hard or soft options
It's essentially a choice of a harder or softer Brexit. Harder prioritizes border control over trade. UK firms would pay tariffs to do business in the EU, and vice versa. The softest Brexit would see access to the single market, or at least a customs union, maintained. That would require concessions — including the payment of a hefty "divorce bill" — to which the UK has provisionally agreed.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R.Vieira/W.Rothermel
A leap into the unknown
Businesses have expressed concern about a "cliff edge" scenario, where Britain leaves the EU with no deal. Even if an agreement is reached at the EU bloc level, the worry is that it could be rejected at the last minute. Each of the 27 remaining countries must ratify the arrangements, and any might reject them. That could mean chaos for businesses and individuals.
If there is no agreement at all, a fully sovereign UK would be free to strike new trade deals and need not make concessions on the rights of EU citizens living in the UK or pay the financial settlement of outstanding liabilities. However, trade would be crippled. UK citizens in other parts of the EU would be at the mercy of host governments. There would also be a hard EU-UK border in Ireland.
Image: Imago
Divorce-only deal
The EU and the UK could reach a deal on Britain's exiting the bloc without an agreement on future relations. This scenario would still be a very hard Brexit, but would at least demonstrate a degree of mutual understanding. Trade agreements would be conducted, on an interim basis, on World Trade Organization rules.
Image: Fotolia/Jens Klingebiel
Limited arrangement, like with Canada
Most trade tariffs on exported goods are lifted, except for "sensitive" food items like eggs and poultry. However, exporters would have to show their products are genuinely "made in Britain" so the UK does not become a "back door" for global goods to enter the EU. Services could be hit more. The City of London would lose access to the passporting system its lucrative financial business relies on.
Under the Swiss model, the UK would have single market access for goods and services while retaining most aspects of national sovereignty. Switzerland, unlike other members of the European Free Trade Area (EFTA), did not join the European Economic Area (EEA) and was not automatically obliged to adopt freedom of movement. Under a bilateral deal, it agreed to do so but is still dragging its feet.
Image: picture-alliance/Anka Agency International
The Norway way
As part of the European Economic Area, Norway has accepted freedom of movement – something that no Brexit-supporting UK government would be likely to do. Norway still has to obey many EU rules and is obliged to make a financial contribution to the bloc while having no voting rights. Some see this as the worst of both worlds.
Image: dapd
A Turkey-style customs union
Turkey is the only major country to have a customs union with the EU, as part of a bilateral agreement. Under such an arrangement, the UK would not be allowed to negotiate trade deals outside the EU, instead having the bloc negotiate on its behalf. Many Brexiteers would be unwilling to accept this. It would, however, help minimize disruption at ports and, crucially, at the Irish border.
Image: Reuters/N. Hall
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EU professionals
Lawyers who have degrees from an European Economic Area (EEA) state but no approval from England, Wales or Northern Ireland to use the title of solicitor or barrister will have to take legal steps to ensure they can still work in the UK.
Fishing
Britain's fishing boats would not be allowed into EU waters if Britain leaves the EU without a deal. They will also not be allowed to land their catch at EU ports.
"There will be no automatic access to exchanging fishing opportunities with EU member states, and no automatic access for EU member states to exchange fishing opportunities with the UK," the notice said.
Waste disposal
According to the latest advice, British exporters would require new licenses to export waste to EU countries and "would need to familiarize themselves with the customs guidelines the EU has laid down for imports of waste from outside the EU."
In the absence of a deal, UK-based breeders would not be automatically entitled to transports animals for breeding in stud or other farms. This would have an impact on the bodies involved in breeding and cross-border sale of thoroughbred dogs, horse and bulls.
"A recognized UK breed society or breeding operation would no longer be automatically entitled to enter their pedigree breeding animals into an equivalent breeding book in the EU, and would have no right to extend a breeding program into the EU,” said the notice.
For British Internet users, online access to services like Netflix, Spotify and Amazon Prime would not be possible while they were travelling in Europe. Regarding the "portability of online content service," a notice published on 24 September but previously unreported said: "The portability regulation will cease to apply to UK nationals when they travel to the EU."
