EU Sets In Motion No Deal Brexit Contingency Plan Amid Uncertainty In UK - Press Release

The European Commission started implementing its contingency plan for a potential no deal Brexit amid the uncertainty over the draft withdrawal agreement in the United Kingdom, the commission said Wednesday in a press release.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th December, 2018) The European Commission started implementing its contingency plan for a potential no deal Brexit amid the uncertainty over the draft withdrawal agreement in the United Kingdom, the commission said Wednesday in a press release.

"Given the continued uncertainty in the UK surrounding the ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement, as agreed between the EU and the UK on 25 November 2018 - and last week's call by the European Council (Article 50) to intensify preparedness work at all levels and for all outcomes - the European Commission has today started implementing its 'no deal' Contingency Action Plan," the press release said.

The commission said it had adopted two measures to avoid full breakdown of air traffic between the bloc and the United Kingdom in case of no deal.

"The Commission has also adopted a proposal for a Regulation to allow UK operators to temporarily (nine months) carry goods into the EU, provided the UK confers equivalent rights to EU road haulage operators and subject to fair competition conditions," the press release said.

In addition, the commission said that goods coming into the bloc from the United Kingdom after the withdrawal may be subject to customs checks, as regulated by the Union Customs Code.

The UK financial services rules in some areas will be considered equivalent to those of EU for 12 months.

The EU announcement came the next day after the UK cabinet agreed to step up the country's preparations for a no deal Brexit.

The European Union endorsed a draft deal on November 25, but it met with strong criticism in the UK House of Commons. UK Prime Minister Theresa May has postponed the vote in the UK parliament until mid-January in the hope of securing additional guarantees on the Irish border backstop from EU colleagues. The European Union has stressed, however, that the deal would not be renegotiated.