Pro-Brexit think tank says UK should abandon customs union
The UK should leave the European customs union entirely and avoid a “half-in, half-out, compromise a pro-Brexit think tank warned.
Open Europe, a eurosceptic organisation, said it believed a comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU after Britain had left the bloc could be achievable.
It acknolwedged that none of the alternatives to the status quo “guarantee frictionless UK-EU movement of goods”.
“There are various options available for UK-EU customs cooperation. The core trade-off is integration versus control,” the group said.
“The more integrated the UK remains with the EU, the less control it will have over its trade policy. The best solution is for the UK to leave EUCU and conclude a comprehensive UK-EU FTA with full customs cooperation.”
“This is in line with the direction of global trade negotiations, which now focus largely on non-tariff barriers – including customs.”