[Skybird]

The Neue Zürcher Zeitung comments on two years of Brexit:

The Brexit is a success, assures the British government. But the contrast between reality and appearance is unmistakable. The first step toward improvement would be more honesty.

The new Brexit reality is somewhat contradictory. Boris Johnson's government published a position paper over a hundred pages thick on Monday entitled "The benefits of Brexit - how the UK is taking advantage of leaving the EU."

The chairman of the Transport Committee in the House of Commons will read it with interest. He went to see for himself a few days ago in the Kent region, whereupon the regional news portal "Kent Online" reported: "MP steps in human feces on Brexit visit."

It's been two years since the United Kingdom left the EU in early February 2020 - hence the government's desire to use the thick report to create good cheer. Cheering up could also be needed by the truck drivers who have been stuck in traffic jams for hours in Kent for the past two weeks on the approach to the Dover ferry port. Their wait is closely linked to Brexit. That there are hardly any sanitary facilities on the roads to Dover was something the aforementioned member of parliament was allowed to discover for himself.

In the traffic jam, the truck drivers would have enough time to read the Brexit paper, but that would not be conducive to their mood. It is true that the section "successes to date" takes up only 15 of the 108 pages, and even that seems stretched. However, the entries are often euphemistic: administrative hurdles in foreign trade have been lowered, customs processes have been digitized, and London has concluded trade agreements not only with the EU, but with 70 countries.

In fact, many of these "successes" are pure damage limitation measures that became necessary when the country left the EU's single market at the beginning of 2021. Since then, there have been customs controls on the trade of goods across the English Channel. They are being introduced gradually, and the reins were tightened at the turn of last year. Now, British authorities require export and import declarations for goods before they are shipped, not after the fact.

The increased effort in clearance, combined with problems in starting the new customs system, is causing the long lines in front of the checkpoints not only in Dover, but also in Calais. Add to that reduced ferry capacity as ships are serviced - confirming a common pattern: Wherever there are problems, Brexit makes things more difficult.

That explains the desire for easy success stories. The British government is lauding its Brexit tropes: the reintroduction of blue passports, of pint measurements on packaging, and of "Crown Stamp" calibration marking on glasses. Apart from being of less practical relevance: EU membership did not categorically stand in the way of these Brexit "benefits." Neither did the establishment of free ports, the accelerated switch to electric vehicles and the reorganization of the railroad system, which London also cites as Brexit achievements.

The bulk of the Brexit record relates to statements of intent for future policy. Often it is about regulations that London now wants to improve - although details and plans are open. Time will tell whether the promises will be kept. A fundamental tension will remain: If the UK distances itself too much from the regulatory regime of the EU, its largest trading partner, market access for British companies will suffer.

Of course, it is to be hoped that even Boris Johnson's often populist government will find sensible new ways forward. The pressure to make a success of Brexit should be a stimulating incentive. But that requires honesty and diligence rather than window dressing and half-truths. Instead, Johnson says scrapping laws that still date back to EU membership would save firms £1 billion in red tape costs. How he comes up with the figure remains his secret. A trucker in a traffic jam outside Dover wouldn't think of it.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
https://www.nzz.ch/meinung/brexit-be...anz-ld.1667538

Mind you, the NZZ is no German but Swiss newspaper.