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The European Commission has put in place contingency measures designed to deal with the outage if a trade deal with the UK cannot be reached.
The measures would ensure basic reciprocal road and air connectivity between the EU and the UK, and allow the possibility of reciprocal fishing access.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “The negotiations are still ongoing.
However, since the end of the transition is very near, there is no guarantee that, if an agreement is reached, it will come into force in time.
“Our responsibility is to be prepared for all eventualities, including the lack of an agreement with the UK in January
Negotiations are still ongoing, but the end of the transition is near. There is no guarantee that if and when an agreement is reached, it can go into effect on time. We have to be prepared even not to have a deal on January 1. Today we present contingency measures ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/FQ4Urn9YUC
– Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) December 10, 2020
The contingency measures include a proposal on “basic air connectivity” for six months, provided the UK does the same.
A proposal on aviation security would allow various security certificates to continue to apply in the EU, avoiding the grounding of aircraft.
Another measure would cover freight and passenger travel on roads for six months, as long as the UK corresponds.
In a more controversial move, Brussels proposed a 12-month period for continued reciprocal access to fishing waters.
A statement from the commission said: “The disruption will occur with or without an agreement between the EU and the UK on their future relationship.
“This is the natural consequence of the UK’s decision to leave the Union and stop participating in the single market and the EU customs union.”
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