Thread by @AnnaJerzewska

This is a truly historic day - I disagree with David (and @pmdfoster). And that doesn't happen often!

Customs and trade facilitation chapters in FTAs are quite generic. The actual, tangible cooperation and facilitation often occur informally, through a bilateral dialogue.
/1

https://twitter.com/DavidHenigUK/status/1387690067989311491

for me, it’s not a question of how often the Customs Committee meets but the conversations that take place on a completely different level – customs administration to customs administration, officer to officer.

/2

There are two completely different levels here:

1⃣ customs, SPS and border formalities and requirements

2⃣ day-to-day operational issues

/3

Customs cooperation will not change the fact that rules of origin prevent certain goods from being traded tariff-free or won't change the amount of paperwork required. The committees won’t make SPS checks unnecessary.

/4

What is possible is smoothing out of all the smaller, operational challenges that lead to delays and paperwork being rejected.

/5

Questions around the colour of the pen that needs to be used to fill in forms, the confusion around what an origin statement needs to look like (the fact that it differs between the UK and the EU), etc.

/6

FTAs provide only a framework for customs cooperation and trade facilitation.
The text of the agreement is only like 10%. The 90% is implementation. And that is not governed by the text but happens through building bilateral dialogue and trust.

/7

And the Committee is part of that process (albeit a small one). But it's part of a wider structure.
It's not there to solve the problems - more to take stock of what's been happening.

/8

Like a steering committee that oversees the bilateral cooperation process which in itself is not, and should not be, formal.

/9

Cause at the end of the day it’s about who does the border officer call when they have a doubt about paperwork? And if an issue occurs, how quickly can the customs authorities of both countries communicate and act.

/10

I think this type of customs cooperation and its role in minimising border delays cannot be underestimated.

/11

And the Committee is like the meeting of heads of state during FTA negotiations - symbolic, provides political direction (even decisions), but that's not where the work happens.

/ends