There are about 300,000 French citizens in the UK and 150,000 British in France, while £130bn of goods are transported through the Eurotunnel every year, representing more than one quarter of UK-EU trade, according to London principal Anthony Charrie and Paris partner Hanna Moukanas of management consulting firm Oliver Wyman, interviewed for LexisNexis Legal Analysis this week. Moreover, small businesses are not all ready to handle the extra burden.
Both countries have agreed to continue residence rights for one year. France has expanded its port infrastructure, recruited an extra 700 staff at Calais and run a month-long rehearsal for no-deal Brexit.
‘UK-France trade would revert to World Trade Organisation rules, resulting in higher tariffs, higher non-tariff costs (for example, declarations, certifications), border controls and restrictions in providing services,’ Charrie and Moukanas said. ‘While the upgrades in Calais should help reduce the potential delays, it is likely there will be delays and capacity shortages at the border.’
