Brexit ‘threatens peace process and human rights’
A RETURN to roaming charges when criss-crossing the Irish Border, layers of travel bureaucracy for cargo and tourists, and still no concrete advice for businesses. The chaotic potential impact of Brexit on everyday life was laid bare in the second tranche of documents outlining the nightmare of a no-deal scenario, released by the UK government. The latest release of 28 ‘advisories’ does at least offer a re-commitment by the UK to the long-standing common travel area agreement for Irish and British citizens. It guarantees they can still travel freely between both islands. This includes the right to work, study, marry, visit, vote and access social and health benefits. “There would be no practical changes to the UK’s approach to immigration on journeys within the common travel area”, the document on Ireland says. However, the seamlessness of traveling around the EU for UK citizens would be disrupted. The EU negotiated the free-roaming charges agreement with mobile companies over several years. It was finally introduced for all 28 member states in 2017. But expensive roaming charges may soon return for British mobile customers. This also means that people visiting the North from Ireland will have to turn on their data roaming and be charged while moving in and out of the jurisdictions. Meanwhile, the British government is warning its citizens to check passports to make sure they have six months left before they expire. In a no-deal scenario, thirdparty, international passport rules will apply for British citizens. However, UK driving licenses won’t be accepted as part of pan-EU standard and drivers will have to obtain an international license. Irish Government sources say it won’t comment in public at the sheer level of chaos that the British public might face.
Farce
“It just goes to show you how disingenuous the whole Brexit farce was in the first place,” said one source. “It’s a complete mess, and we’ll be badly affected but we have the security of EU membership for the big things. “It might take the shine off the idea of crashing out – maybe some of the extreme Brexiteers might think twice about pushing the talks over the cliff.”
‘It’s a mess and might take the shine off the idea of leaving the EU’
One of the most disputed aspects of the implications of Brexit is how trade, including how the transiting of goods, will be affected. The advisories reveal that rather than cutting bureaucracy – which was often cited as one of the reasons to leave the EU – the UK’s departure from the union would demand more shipping documentation when entering European ports. Only EU member states or states with special agreements allow for free-flowing services between its territory and that of another EU country. Therefore, in a no-deal scenario, EU countries would be unable to issue exemptions to vessels operating scheduled services from the UK. The UK’s Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said the documents were their government’s way of letting the public know it is planning for all eventualities. “It’s part and parcel of our sensible, pragmatic approach to preparing for all outcomes,” he said. British Prime Minister Theresa May is meeting with her EU counterparts to update them on British developments regarding issues that are outstanding on the withdrawal Agreement. By far the biggest of these remains the Irish Border, and this latest disbursement of ‘Brexit-readiness’ documentation offers no analysis on how trade will be affected. This will be of particular concern for small and medium-sized businesses that traverse by the North and the Irish State on a daily basis.