UK abandons full checks for light-touch regime at EU borders

The UK has abandoned its plan to introduce full border checks with the European Union on January 1 as British ministers face pressure from businesses not to increase chaos already caused by the coronavirus outbreak, the Financial Times newspaper reported.

Instead, Britain will introduce a temporary "light-touch regime" at ports such as Dover for incoming EU goods, the newspaper reported, adding that this will happen whether or not there is a Brexit free trade agreement with the EU.

The newspaper said that officials have conceded, however, that goods flowing to the EU from the UK could face full checks as they enter France.

Britain left the EU on January 31 and has made very little progress in talks about a trade deal, negotiators have said.

The Financial Times cited unidentified officials as saying an announcement could be made as soon as Friday on the border checks ahead of Britain's plan to ramp up preparations for a no-deal scenario in July.

The approach will be similar to no-deal arrangements drawn in September last year, which prioritised the flow of goods over border formalities, the FT said.

Exemptions

Agricultural goods will not enter Border Inspection Posts in or near the port and animal products may not immediately be required to have health certificates, according to the plans reported by the newspaper.

The plans will let only controlled goods face immediate checks whereas industrial goods are expected to benefit from transitional measures delaying the need for customs declarations and postpone customs duty payments.

The development marks a turn from February when Britain said it planned to introduce import controls on EU goods at the border after its post-Brexit transition period ends on December 31.

EU sees path to Brexit compromise if UK more realistic

The European Union said it sees a path towards a compromise on a trade deal with Britain but London must first be more realistic in what it expects to achieve.

Stefaan de Rynck, an adviser to the EU's chief trade negotiator,  told a virtual Irish conference on Thursday that Britain had shown a lack of serious engagement on a number of issues and the talks needed to be unblocked.

The areas where the EU was seeing this were in regard to standards for open and fair competition, fisheries, an overarching governance structure, and on judicial and law enforcement co-operation, De Rynck said.

"This may be a tough message but at the same time, we can see the trajectory of compromise," he said. "We have, like in some fairytale, put out some stones that show you the path to a compromise," he said.

Chief negotiator Michel Barnier said on Wednesday that Britain was seeking a trading relationship with the EU that was too close to that of a member state, urging London to adjust its demands in the four months left to reach a deal.

"If we get to the point where the UK changes its approach and becomes more realistic in what it can achieve, then I think we can quickly go on a trajectory for a compromise. We are certainly willing on the EU side to walk that trajectory," De Rynck said.