Jim Hacker’s problem has returned, with British sausages and other products about to be banned from one part of the UK.
The rest of Britain no longer follows EU rules but Northern Ireland does, due to the land border with an EU member. EU food safety rules do not allow chilled meats to enter their territory from non members.
Just one aspect of the complexity Northern Ireland faces, as the 6 month grace period on rule implementation ends on June 30th 2021.
We hope the position improves for businesses and residents in the province. The issues they have been left with go far beyond concerns about food, although negotiations are not progressing in an ideal way.
Both UK and EU representatives state that talks on Northern Ireland have not broken down, just ended without agreement. A nuance which seems applicable to a wide number of post Brexit issues.
Heading To Stalemate
Whilst both sides are in principle looking to continue talks on the future UK/EU relationship, they are equally willing to contemplate the opposite.
The UK says it is ready to ignore bans brought by Brexit regulation. EU politicians continue to threaten legal action, tariffs, or other retaliatory trade measures, saying their patience is “wearing very thin”.
Representatives from both parties have said that trust needs to be restored, suggesting we are at a crossroads in our relationship. Considering solutions from the business toolbox might be worthwhile.
Practical Compromise
We understand the need to try to win votes, as in Jim Hacker’s jingoistic speech but wonder if more votes would not come from economic success.
Hardly on the scale of a country but businesses manage difficult times, from staff depletion, to fires, floods, or contract losses. They deal with all parties involved on the basis of moving forward in business terms.
Any good company wishes to learn lessons but the past is viewed as exactly that, unchangeable. Much the same as Brexit, where whatever your view, the constant after the vote was about the need to move on.
A business would do so through deals that bring mutual benefit. A position we see in the ATA carnet level playing field, where international agreement means rules in the EU and UK are more or less the same.
We don’t try to adopt different rules because the EU share them, they make the system work. If politicians accepted that the Brexit fight is over and focused on win win, perhaps we could all reap the benefits.