By Kyoko Canaway (Photo: https://www.export.org.uk/news/544053/Port-bosses-in-Dover-and-Calais-expect-freight-to-move-smoothly-at-start-of-next-year.htm)
As a languages student on my Year Abroad, I have spent the last four months living in Germany. Although the cultures are extremely similar, I have found myself having to adapt to the German way of life in more ways than I thought would be necessary, something that has been a fascinating if at times challenging experience.
Although it was no surprise that I had to adapt my use of language as a foreign speaker, there were many other unexpected adjustments that I had to make to my daily life after moving to Germany. Soon after my arrival here, I thought it would be nice to send some German chocolates to my sister and so looked for the nearest post office. Only to discover that post offices as we know them in England don’t exist in Germany and I instead had to go to the local ‘Paketshop’ where a very friendly but slightly bemused German lady explained how everything worked. Similarly, while I rely on Boots for its meal deals, medicines and makeup in England, I was suddenly confronted with a country that had no Boots and no exact Boots equivalent. I did similar double takes on realising that all pillows in Germany are square and that, while it is perfectly normal to see pre-boiled eggs on a supermarket shelf, you can’t buy sausage rolls, self-raising flour or mince pies here.
As a languages student who firmly believes in the importance of connections between nations and cultures, it may seem strange that I am highlighting the differences between two countries that are commonly perceived as being extremely similar. However, it is precisely because of these differences that I am even more baffled by the divisions that are being reinforced by Brexit. It is impossible to deny that we live in an increasingly international community, something that is not only possible through technological developments but that is also necessary to overcome the global challenges that we face. I never thought that there would be so many cultural differences when moving to a country so close and so connected to the country in which I grew up and yet I was surprised by the number of ways in which I had to adapt. In light of this and also within the context of an increasingly global community, I cannot comprehend why anyone would want to reinforce divisions, establish further boundaries and emphasise cultural differences by undermining unions that seek to unite cultures, whilst maintaining cultural and political freedoms, as was the case within the context of the EU.
The problems that have been caused by Brexit and compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic are becoming ever more pressing. Even with a deal, the uncertainty surrounding the future of the relationship between the UK and the EU can be felt on both a personal and business level as a British citizen both in the UK and abroad as the island becomes ever more isolated, simply because there is not the political or practical infrastructure to deal with this drastic departure from the system that has supported us for 47 years. Delivery companies like Hermes and DHL stopped sending packages to the UK in early December, citing the “context of Britain’s exit from the EU”[1] as their reason. In addition to these disruptions, the new mutation of the virus found in the UK led to the company DHL stopping the delivery of all packages to the UK on the 21st, a decision that was then followed on the 23rd by UPS[2]. Although this sudden reduction of movement of goods may not seem so problematic when the only consequence is the delayed receipt of a Christmas present, this is a problem that is being seen across all supply chains for all goods. The French banned freight transport to the UK, causing concern about the availability of fresh vegetables and citrus fruits in British supermarkets. Although this may have been a problem caused as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic rather than as a result of Brexit, it is undeniable that, as a member of the EU, Britain would have been supported in the challenges caused by this reduction of movement of goods between the member states of the EU and Britain in a way that is simply not possible now. For example, on the 22nd December 2020, Britain would have received between €30bn and €50bn as part of the Next Generation EU recovery fund, an initiative that will provide a total of €750bn to support the member states of the EU in response to the COVID-19 pandemic[3]. This uncertainty and lack of support has led to disruptions at the main ports of France and England, as companies stockpile before Brexit whilst simultaneously trying to navigate the new regulations that prevent the free movement of goods in an attempt to control the spread of the virus.
Even if it is maintained that these disruptions are a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and have nothing to do with Brexit, it is impossible to rule out the possibility that this chaos, the lack of clear procedure, the ease with which Britain has been left isolated and the ever-increasing reluctance to bring foreign goods to our shores is simply a preview of the situation after Brexit that has been brought forward by the pandemic. Ian Wright of the Food and Drink Federation stated that the consequences of this pre-Brexit stockpiling combined with the new restrictions in response to the mutated virus have led to disruptions that are “just a tiny peek at what could happen either in the first few days, or the first few weeks of the transition period ending”[4]. Although the UK have now reached a deal with the EU, this does not necessarily mean that there will be no disruption to trade in the immediate aftermath of Britain’s exit from the EU. To take merely one example, the new regulations surrounding transportation of goods results in an access to the market that is below that which is offered by the Single Market[5], an immediate indication that the deal has not immediately solved all the problems facing the new model of communication and connection between Britain and the EU.
For me, these disruptions have meant a Christmas in Germany where I was also unable to send Christmas presents to my friends and family at home. Although this is the least of the worries facing the international community, I hope that it will be clear to those reading this that the combination of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the relationship between Britain and the other member states of the EU, complicating and in some cases preventing trade, all within the context of a pandemic that has been dictating our lives for over a year now. It continues to amaze me that we as a nation have decided to resurrect old divisions, breakdown unified structures and reinforce cultural differences at a time when we are faced with so many international challenges, and I hope that the difficulties that we as an isolated nation will inevitably face over the coming months will emphasise the need to unite as a global community. I just hope it won’t be too late when the realisation hits.
[1] https://www.myhermes.de/preise/versandlaender/grossbritannien/ [2] https://www.paketda.de/news-kurznachrichten-20190220.html [3] https://euobserver.com/science/150450 [4] https://www.politico.eu/article/france-and-britain-agree-to-lift-coronavirus-ban-on-freight-travel/ [5] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_2531