Thread by @EFTA4UK

1/ Norway 🇳🇴 Switzerland 🇨🇭Iceland 🇮🇸 and Liechtenstein 🇱🇮 are not in the EU. They are not in the EU Customs Union. They aren't in 'a' customs union with the EU like Turkey. None of them are seeking to join 'the' or 'a' customs union with the EU.

2/ so how do they try to ensure frictionless trade with the EU? There are various agreements, bodies and procedures they are party to. It's mind-bogglingly complex.

3/ the EU-EFTA EEA agreement features some provisions which help in this regard:

4/ the EU and efta countries are signed up to the WTO (world trade organisation) and its agreements on Trade Facilitation (TFA) and Technical Barriers to trade (TBT)

5/ the eu and efta countries are also signed up to the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and its work: rocb-europe.org/en/rocb-europe

6/ the efta and EU countries have also agreed a Common Transit Convention

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7/ they have also agreed a Pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin (PEM Convention) ec.europa.eu/taxation_custo…

8/ how all of these agreements interact, overlap and complement each other is difficult to grasp for the layman or even we who have studied these issues for a while.

9/ The take home point is - they work. If the UK rejoins efta and maintains EEA membership then we shouldn't have too many problems. But what about Ireland?

10/ the hard Brexit crowd (legatum, brexit central et al) think the Irish border issues can be resolved just by implementing the suggestions in the report 'Smart Border 2.0'
europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/d…

11/ we don't. We think to avoid a hard border that the UK will have to remain in the European Economic Area (EEA) and also the EU will have to show a degree of flexibility like they have in the past:

12/ For more examples of European fudges see: theredcell.co.uk/uploads/9/6/4/…

13/ so in closing if parliamentarians wish to ensure a soft and smooth brexit they should be concentrating on promoting continued EEA membership via EFTA which would be the bedrock of a sound trading relationship with the EU and the rest of the world.

14/ the Customs Union is ultimately a red herring in the brexit debate. /End