Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-President of the European Commission and Brexit negotiator, said that even if the effects of the pandemic were taken into account, the increase in bureaucracy since the end of the transition period in January 2021 has had a negative impact on trade in goods and services. with the UK. “One result of Brexit was the return of the customs border between the EU and Great Britain. This means bureaucracy for almost every product shipment between our markets. It means that thousands of goods are inspected on a daily basis. “Brexit has increased bureaucracy, not reduced it. It is no longer as frictionless and dynamic as before. “This applies to both goods and services,” he said. The UK decision to opt for a tough Brexit by leaving the single market has resulted in the loss of four freedoms in trade – labor, capital, goods and services. Eurostat data show that EU imports from the UK fell from € 169 billion (14 4 144 billion) in 2020 to € 146 billion in 2021 – down 13.6%. Eurostat data on imports and exports with the United Kingdom from 2011 Photo: Eurostat Compared to 2021 and 2019, the drop is 25%. Eurostat data show that services, which were also affected by Brexit, fell by 7% in 2021 compared to 2019. This category includes everything from financial services to professional services such as architecture, marketing and accounting. . Šefčovič’s comments come just days after former Brexit minister Lord Frost said anyone who said the bloc’s exit had hit the economy and trade had an “ax to grind”. Subscribe to the Business Email daily email or follow the Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDesk He told a conference that the figures used by the Office of Budget Responsibility and predicting that Britain’s gross domestic product would be 4% lower than if it had remained in the EU were “zombie figures” based on studies by post-communist countries. From the end of the transition period in January 2021, all goods exported to the EU must be accompanied by a plethora of documents documenting compliance with EU standards, as Britain is treated as any “third country”, such as India, Australia or the USA. trying to sell in the single market. Northern Ireland is exempt from bureaucratic requirements due to special protocol arrangements that allow it to continue trading with the EU as if it were a Member State.
