Exporters to the UK face tariffs
As of November 1, feta cheese may well incur a levy of 151 euros per 100 kilos, or 1.51 euros per kilo, when it enters Britain, being one of Greece’s main exports to the United Kingdom – unless the scheduled departure of the UK from the European Union does not take place after all.
Moreover, access to the British market not only of feta but also all other Greek farming and agricultural products will not necessarily be a simple proposition, as it is likely additional standards will be required.
The Foreign Ministry has prepared a special online platform to inform Greek producers and exporters about the new requirements and to provide answers to the questions of the country’s enterprises that export to the UK at brexit.gov.gr.
If Britain’s departure is ratified, the EU and the UK will have until December 31, 2020 to negotiate their new commercial and economic relationship.
If the departure agreement is not ratified – resulting in the so-called “no-deal” Brexit that the election of Boris Johnson at the country’s premiership has rendered more likely – it will mean that, as of November 1, Britain will be considered one more non-EU country for tax, tariff and customs purposes.
That will practically mean that full customs procedures and document submissions will be required for exports to Britain, and certain commodities will suffer UK entrance restrictions or even bans, while most – if not all – will incur tariffs, to say nothing of the administrative procedures that the EU or the UK will have conducted after Brexit without the other side recognizing them.
According to official data, Greece’s exports to Britain amounted to 1.21 billion euros in 2018, while imports from the UK added up to 1.36 billion last year.
The Foreign Ministry is advising exporters to ask the customs authorities about the existing customs procedures available for each enterprises and ensure their registration with the national customs authority so that they are allowed to perform transactions with non-EU countries.
