France no longer has to take back migrants
I can understand why David Abbott (“I was deceived by the Vote Leave brigade” Letters 17/11/21) complains about the great increase in the numbers of people crossing the channel in very small vessels.
When we were a member of the EU we were a party to the Dublin Regulation which set out that asylum applications should be based on the first point of entry to the EU. Since we are no longer a member, France is not obliged to accept back any asylum seekers. Due to the way we have upset them over fishing rights and other matters, France is not enthusiastic in its cooperation. Leaving the EU has cost the UK the diplomatic influence provided by membership whereby we could either offer help with EU legislation France wished to see passed or conversely threaten a veto.
While David highlights our inability to prevent unauthorised migration, he fails to point out another problem. Currently the EU is checking the goods crossing from the UK into the EU. The UK Government has failed to do this as we have not put in place the infrastructure and personnel needed to check goods coming into the UK from the EU. This contravenes World Trade Organisation rules as it means we are discriminating against countries outside of the EU whose goods are checked. It also means that we have no means of retaliation should we get into a trade war with the EU.
Another misleading claim of the Brexit campaign was that we would be able to set our own regulations.
We are doing so at great expense, but in the vast majority of cases we are simply matching the rules and regulations of the EU. The EU is the largest trading block in the world and consequently most of the world adopts, in one form or another, EU regulations. Not to do so would make it difficult to export to the EU without the expense of modifying the product and obtaining the necessary EU certification. When in the EU we were a leading member in setting regulations, now we can merely hope to get notice of what is to be introduced.
I suggest that the Brexit campaign slogan “Take Back Control” was delusional and should in reality have been “Give Up Control”.
John Catt, A member of the Leicestershire European Movement