Inspections in the Irish Sea could be limited to “a few trucks a day”.

(Belga) The European Union is ready to limit customs checks on products crossing the Irish Sea from Great Britain to “a few trucks a day”, European Commissioner Maroz Cefcovic said in an interview with the Financial Times published on Monday. However, he expects the British to communicate information about the products they carry in real time.

The Slovak commissioner responsible for EU-side post-Brexit relations with London appears to be open to new British Prime Minister Liz Truss. The latter has in recent months backed a unilateral revision of customs terms agreed with the EU in time for Brexit, which Brussels considers illegal. Meanwhile, after becoming prime minister, Liz Truss said last week that she still preferred a negotiated solution to trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland with the EU. Maroz Cefkovic said on Monday that checks would become practically “invisible” if the British provided all the data on goods carried in real time. “Physical” inspections will only exist in cases of suspected illegal trade or the transport of dangerous goods to Northern Irish ports. According to the Commissioner, there is actually little difference between what London is asking for (“no restrictions”) and European proposals to strictly limit restrictions. (belga)