David Jones, Britain's minister for leaving the European Union, visited TLN's headquarters today. The lightning visit included discussions on the expected customs problems after the Brexit, TLN reports.
Jones, who was accompanied by UK Ambassador to the Netherlands Sir Geoffrey Adams, stressed to TLN president Arthur van Dijk the goal of remaining a good trading partner of the EU. The UK's aim is a smooth and orderly exit from the EU, with Jones saying the UK can no longer participate in the customs union as it seeks to retain control of its own borders.
Minister Jones acknowledged that trade with the UK is very important for transport and logistics in the Netherlands, so in the new trade relationship, trade should be organised as frictionless as possible. Jones stressed the importance of smooth customs clearance. "The advantage of a departing member state is that EU legislation has already been transposed into the UK," Minister Jones said. During the visit, TLN president Arthur van Dijk asked the minister to anticipate customs problems. According to Van Dijk, any additional administrative operations should be offset by electronic document flows.
Notable was David Jones' call to counter political tendencies to make Britain a deterrent to other member states considering departure. "Article 50 in the Lisbon Treaty is there for a reason," he said. "As many as 17.4 million people have chosen to leave, the largest number in any election ever." He called for the democratic choice of the British people to be facilitated above all in the most businesslike way possible, for mutual benefit.
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