Swedish shipping company Stena Line thinks that shipping companies need a special implementation phase once the current transition phase expires when Brexit enters force from the turn of the year.

With the announcement earlier this week that the UK and EU are now a little closer to reaching an agreement, the prospect of a trade deal also improved slightly. And yet, the shipping company believes it is necessary to look into possible transition because "there remains many unanswered questions."

"The systems and infrastructure required for customs checks in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK will also not be finalised in time for 1st January 2021. With many companies in the supply chain still not ready we believe a further ‘implementation phase’ is required by both the UK and the EU," says Ian Hampton, Executive Director and Brexit Spokesperson, in a press release.

According to Stena Line, the UK government has envisioned a "flexible and pragmatic" approach to customs requirements once the current transition phase expires. More specifically, the government has decided to postpone the imposition of full controls in the UK by six months. According to the shipping company, this has been done to avoid delays in UK ports.

"Stena Line would like to encourage the EU to take the same approach as the UK. It is in the interests of the both the UK and EU to prioritise trade flows over customs and agri-food checks at the border," says Hampton, who also encourages all parties to continue to work together until the systems are in place.

Decision must be made by Sunday

British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, have agreed to decide whether they can land an agreement about the future conditions by Sunday at the latest.

The coming days will therefore be spent figuring out whether they can find a solution to the remaining outstanding issues or not.

Johnson and von der Leyen spoke Wednesday evening, but according to a source from Johnson's staff, they are still "very far apart".

Von der Leyen wrote on Twitter Wednesday night that they had had a "lively & interesting discussion" regarding the unresolved matters.

"We understand each other’s positions. They remain far apart," she wrote.

"The teams should immediately reconvene to try to resolve these issues. We will come to a decision by the end of the weekend," the president continued.

It is not immediately evident what a "decision" entails.

The Brits are set to cut all remaining ties with the EU on as Dec. 31 turns to Jan. 1, unless the parties manage to agree on a trade deal last minute.

The UK officially left the EU in January of this year, but the country has since been in a transition period in which the country remains part of the EU's internal market and customs union.

For this reason, rules for trade and travel have so far remained the same as before. But this transition period is set to expire on Dec. 31.

If negotiations end without a result, it will be a chaotic end to Britain's almost 50-year membership of the European Union.

And if the parties do not manage to agree on a trade deal before New Year's, customs and customs control will enter force from the new year, to the detriment of all parties.

Johnson has previously stated that the EU wanted Britain to continue to comply with new EU laws in the future or be automatically punished. At the same time, Johnson insists that the EU relinquish sovereignty over fishing in British waters.

The last EU summit of the year starts today, Thursday, but it remains unknown how much of the meeting will concern Brexit.

English Edit: Ida Jacobsen

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