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,
" said 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.
Read also: Brexit: fears over the border between the United Kingdom and the EU
“
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 take place in any case on January 1, next
”, he said.
“
Whatever happens, on January 1, we will be in a different universe, whether there is an agreement or there is no agreement with the United Kingdom,
” remarked Mr Beaune, in reference to the difficult negotiations underway on Brexit between London and Brussels.
“
There will be a number of practical aspects that will change,
” he added.
“
There will be reinforced controls.
"
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.
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 cope with normal traffic
", noted the Minister Delegate in charge of Public Accounts Olivier Dussopt, recalling that the State had "
recruited 600 additional customs officers to cope to Brexit
”.
The low traffic due to the pandemic allows a kind of break-in while waiting for better days, noted the ministers.
Eurostar currently only carries 5% of regular travelers, according to its managing director Jacques Damas.
