Brexit on the other side of the channel
Normandy’s channel ports - Le Havre for Haropa and Caen-Ouistreham, Cherbourg and Dieppe for Ports of Normandy - have joined forces to help supply chain actors to be as ready as they can be for Brexit when it comes into force on 1 January next, producing a series of handy fact sheets and organising site visits.
It is a key fact that the border crossing process will rely on the smart border system, which is designed to keep port traffic moving in spite of the tighter controls due to Brexit.
Under this system only goods that have been pre-declared or have a customs transit document can board the ferry, and lorries are channelled as soon as they disembark according to the customs, veterinary and/or phytosanitary status of the goods they are carrying.
Various trial runs have confirmed that the entire process is operational and two main objectives have been achieved: smooth traffic flow and operational checks. (cd)