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EU announces no-deal plans to guarantee road and air travel with UK in January

With Brexit talks between London and Brussels seemingly deadlocked, the EU has published its no-deal contingency plans to ensure that road and air links with the UK can continue in January.

Published: 10 December 2020 12:38 CET
EU announces no-deal plans to guarantee road and air travel with UK in January
Photo: AFP

With the EU and the UK still far from reaching a deal, according to reports, Brussels has made a move to publish its contingency plans to ensure travel can continue after the end of the transition period.

“While the Commission will continue to do its utmost to reach a mutually beneficial agreement with the UK, there is now significant uncertainty whether a deal will be in place on January 1st 2021,” read a statement on Thursday.

“The European Commission has today put forward a set of targeted contingency measures ensuring basic reciprocal air and road connectivity between the EU and the UK, as well as allowing for the possibility of reciprocal fishing access by EU and UK vessels to each other's waters.”

If no deal is reached between London and Brussels then the legal agreements that allow flights to operate between the UK and the EU and road passenger and haulage to run smoothly will expire.

So on Thursday the EU put forward contingency plans to allow road transport connectivity and flights to continue operating, but they were conditional on the UK accepting the rules.

The aim of these contingency measures is to cater for the period during which there is no agreement in place. If no agreement enters into application, they will end after a fixed period.

Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said: “Negotiations are still ongoing.

“However, given that the end of the transition is very near, there is no guarantee that if and when an agreement is found, it can enter into force on time.

“Our responsibility is to be prepared for all eventualities, including not having a deal in place with the UK on January 1st 2021. That is why we are coming forward with these measures today”.

The basic contingency plans are as follows:

  • Basic air connectivity: A proposal for a Regulation to ensure the provision of certain air services between the UK and the EU for 6 months, provided the UK ensures the same.
  • Aviation safety: A proposal for a Regulation ensuring that various safety certificates for products can continue to be used in EU aircraft without disruption, thereby avoiding the grounding of EU aircraft.
  • Basic road connectivity: A proposal for a Regulation covering basic connectivity with regard to both road freight, and road passenger transport for 6 months, provided the UK assures the same to EU hauliers.

The UK had not officially responded but the government's transport secretary, Grant Shapps has said previously: “The government’s priority is to ensure that flights can continue to operate safely, securely and punctually between the UK/EU at the end of transition period, regardless of the outcome of negotiations.

“Air travel is vital for both the UK and the EU in connecting people and facilitating trade and tourism, and we are confident measures will be in place to allow for continued air connectivity beyond the end of 2020.”

For passengers travelling between the UK and the EU after January 1st a raft of changes will come in regardless of whether or not a deal is reached – full details here.

Travellers from the UK also face the possibility of being excluded from the EU under Covid rules that have seen the Bloc's external borders closed to all non-essential travel since March.

 

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TRAVEL NEWS

What’s the traffic going to be like around Ascension Day in Denmark?

The day before Ascension Day is one of the biggest travel days of the year in Denmark, with hundreds of thousands of people setting off for their first beach break of the year. Here's what you need to know about the likely traffic hotspots.

Published: 7 May 2024 15:46 CEST
What's the traffic going to be like around Ascension Day in Denmark?

When will the traffic be worst? 

Denmark’s Roads Directorate expects traffic to start to get heavy from 2pm on Wednesday May 8th as Danes in the big cities leave work early and set off for summer houses by the coast, with congestion likely to continue until at least 7pm. 

In its traffic forecast, it predicts that some of the worst period will come late on Wednesday afternoon when cars leaving on holiday will be combined with the normal rush hour traffic, with these times given a red traffic light in its holiday travel guide. 

The agency also expects congestion in some areas on Ascension Day itself, May 9th, particularly between 11am and 2pm, although this only warrants an amber traffic light. 

When people return from their four-day break, the agency expects traffic to be heaviest on Sunday May 12th between 12am and 4pm, although this again only gets an amber warning. 

The Danish Roads Directorate has warned against travelling on Wednesday netween 2pm and 7pm. Photo: Danish Roads Directorate

Where will the traffic be worst? 

The directorate is warning of heavy traffic on the E20 motorway between Copenhagen and the Great Belt Bridge over to Funen, across Funen and also around Kolding on Jutland, with traffic dissipating as it then splits off to the various holiday destinations on the peninsular.  

It is also warning of heavy traffic on Road 16 and Road 21 in northern Zealand. 

On the Jutland peninsular it is forecasting heavy traffic on the Road 40 up to Skagen, on the E45 motorway between Kolding and Aarhus, and on the Road 11 up the west coast of Jutland between Ribe and Ringkøbing. 

Source: Danish Roads Directorate

What can you do to keep up to date with the traffic? 

The Roads Directorate recommends that people travelling on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday check trafikinfo.dk before leaving and also listen to the P4 Trafik station during their journey to stay updated about any incidents or accidents on the roads.

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