‘Solving Protocol headaches is hardly beyond the wit of man’

A letter from Dr DR Cooper:
Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

In February the EU introduced export controls for Covid vaccines, famously including the carriage of vaccines from south to north across the Irish land border.

The EU thinks that it could have a problem with goods crossing from north to south not meeting EU requirements – although so far it has published no evidence that this would be a significant problem – but the UK could generously, and moreover unilaterally, solve the EU’s problem for them by the introduction of export licences for actors in the north who intend to take goods across the border.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

By the simple legal and administrative step of issuing export licences on the clearly-stated condition that the goods to be exported to the Republic must comply with EU requirements, the UK would not only obviate any need for EU checks on goods entering NI, both from Great Britain and from foreign sources, but also remove any need for the UK to enforce EU Single Market rules on all businesses in the province.

In turn that would neutralise the EU’s excuse for the EU court to assume extra-territorial jurisdiction to ensure that EU Single Market rules were still being observed in this part of the sovereign UK.

The system for export licences should be simple and flexible and licences should be obtainable over the internet and without any fee.

A regular cross-border trader could have a long term licence, a haulage company might have a single use licence to take a particular consignment to the south.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

There could be de minimis exemptions for foodstuffs and other goods intended for personal or family consumption and small gifts.

None of this is beyond the wit of man to devise and refine once the principle has been established.

Dr D R Cooper, Maidenhead, Berkshire

More from News Letter letters:

A message from the Editor:

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdowns having had a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Ben Lowry

Editor

Related topics: