UK DOESN’T need EU customs union – workers in Norway say trade is EASY outside bloc

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A lorry leaves a ferry at the port of Dover

Customs union membership allows countries to sell into the single market without customs checks or form-filling but it also means the EU negotiates the trade deals and tariffs on behalf of members.

And many Brexiteers in the British Government want the freedom of an independent trade policy away from the customs union.

The Norwegian official said the benefits of being able to set the terms of trade outweighed any potential bureaucratic burden on business.

He said: “It would be crazy for the UK to leave the EU and stay in the customs union.”

Norway is outside the customs union but has seen trade with EU member state Sweden flourish.

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Lorries leave the port of Dover

The Scandinavian neighbour was the biggest destination for Swedish exports last year, just ahead of Germany.

Ann Linde, Sweden’s EU and trade minister, said food exporters sometimes struggled with punitive Norwegian tariffs on products such as meat and cheese which can be as high as 277 per cent.

This once led to a row over Ikea meatballs with the Swedish firm complaining the tariffs cost more than the meat.

But Scandinavia’s biggest consumer goods firm, Orkla, said bureaucracy was not a barrier to business.

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Customs officers at Dover

On a practical level, British ministers have been warned busy ports such as Dover would struggle to cope with customs checks on every vehicle taking goods across the Channel. 

James Hookham, of the Freight Transport Association, said there would be a “profound” impact if there is a sudden exit from the customs union as over half of Britain’s exports go to the EU.

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Freight containers stacked up at Dover

And Jonathan Roberts, head of communications at the UK Chamber of Shipping, said the removal of customs controls in 1992 “stimulated huge growth” of trade between Britain and its EU neighbours.

He said the re-imposition of significant customs checks would cause profound traffic problems near ports and could ultimately cause a reduction in trade volumes.