The Spanish Tax Agency and the Department of Customs and Special Taxes have sent a notification to exporting companies to inform them that if no agreement is reached for a Brexit with a transitory period, said departure will entail "drastic changes" for Spain's trade with that country after March 30. To be precise, they outline the consequences in the field of customs and excise.
From the customs point of view, the UK's exit from the European Union without an agreement would lead, among other issues, to the trade flows between Spain and the United Kingdom no longer being considered intra-community operations. They would thus be subject to regular customs formalities, including the requirement to present import/export customs declarations for each shipment, the carrying out of customs controls, the payment of customs duties and other taxes or the need to obtain sanitary, phytosanitary or other quality certifications.
"The introduction/shipment of goods from the Iberian Peninsula, the Balearic Islands or the Canary Islands to the United Kingdom will require the presentation of a normal customs declaration. Depending on the type and volume of traffic, it may be advisable to opt for one of the simplified declaration procedures provided in the customs regulations. All economic operators will have to identify themselves with a registration and identification number (EORI number), which will be valid across the EU. Therefore, if the company does not have this number, it must request it from the AEAT."
FEPEX is concerned about how the different types of customs controls could take a toll on the logistics flows, considering the large volume of fresh fruits and vegetables that is shipped by road to the United Kingdom. In fact, in April 2018 alone, this volume amounted to 133,862 tonnes, which represents approximately 6,000 shipments per truck. Therefore, one of the priorities is to establish mechanisms for the management of high volumes of traffic, with the idea of preventing difficulties in border control points, mainly Dover. In April 2018, a total of 5,316 tons arrived by sea.
