The Diplomat
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha González Laya, promised yesterday, in Bilbao, the Government’s help so that businessmen and exporters can continue to trade with the United Kingdom “as smoothly as possible”, after the Brexit came into force.
González Laya visited the Port of Bilbao from which 15% of all trade between Spain and the United Kingdom and 27% of maritime trade is operated, to see how its facilities have been prepared for the new situation.
The minister stressed to journalists that the United Kingdom is Spain’s “number one trading partner”, after the European Union, and she said that the stakes in this trade relationship are high. “Our support and commitment is to help all businesspeople, exporters in this country, to continue trading with the United Kingdom as smoothly as possible”, she insisted.
The minister said that “all necessary investments” had been made to ensure that commercial traffic between the United Kingdom and Spain “continues to flow”, in terms of infrastructure, digitalisation and personnel, with 56 contracts “to deal with Brexit”, of which 26 correspond to the Port of Bilbao.
He also indicated that the “new rules of the game” in trade between the United Kingdom and the European Union involve “new procedures” and “ways of controlling at the border”, to which ports, airports, customs and tax and computer systems have been adapted.
The minister does not believe that there will be “a drop in trade” with the United Kingdom after it leaves the European Union, although she acknowledged that “there may be” “additional” costs caused by the new procedures, which are “longer”.
He said that work had been done in recent months to “avoid these costs being high” and “limit them as much as possible” by making these procedures known to exporters and making them “as automated as possible”.
According to the minister, the Port of Bilbao is “well prepared to face this new situation of the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU. She added that the reforms and investments that have been made “can put the Port of Bilbao in a good position to continue promoting trade with the United Kingdom” and to receive British tourists, since 130,000 passengers embark and disembark each year.
