Britain’s Freight Transport Association (FTA) is warning against the potential “huge impact” for the UK supply chain should France tear up the Le Touquet Treaty in place since 2003 as Brexit talks gather steam.
There had been suggestions during President-elect Emmanuel Macron’s Presidential campaign the agreement, which effectively allows for juxtaposed immigration controls to be carried out by France and the UK on each other’s territory, could be ended, but the FTA is citing the “disastrous effects” this could have on logistics, including the British automotive supply chain.
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No firm information surrounding the mutual deal has been given either by Paris or London ahead of Macron’s inauguration as President of France this weekend (14 May) but further details may emerge once the new Head of State takes the keys to the Elysée Palace on Sunday.
“It would have a huge impact – there could be huge delays at Calais,” an FTA spokeswoman told just-auto. “It could be very unpredictable as well, which could be trouble for the automotive industry when time [ly] deliveries are necessary.
“When we had Operation Stack [backing up thousands of lorries on the UK side during migrant disruption], it obviously impacted on the automotive industry because trucks were held up – that could become the norm if checks were moved [to Dover].”
The Le Touquet Treaty has largely worked well for both countries, although significant problems have sporadically flared up as desperate migrants fleeing political persecution – and sometimes economic poverty – have attempted to stow away on lorries crossing the English Channel.
The FTA – along with the British Road Haulage Association (RHA) has consistently highlighted the issue of danger to drivers engendered by some migrants who have shredded truck sides with knives and fashioned branches into spears to hurl at vehicles.
The Le Touquet deal came into force after the dismantling of the notorious Sangatte camp on the Northern French shore, only to be replaced by an equally grim shanty town in Calais, which was recently bulldozed in the face of repeated migrant attempts to board trucks bound for Britain using ferries or the Le Shuttle service through the Channel Tunnel.
Concerns have been expressed should Paris decide to axe Le Touquet, it will simply encourage a stampede of new migrants to the North French ports as the problem shifts from immigration authorities to transport providers.
Should that happen and given the punitive fines imposed by the UK on drivers – currently running at £2,000 per illegal migrant found – it is inevitable sailings will be delayed as checks are carried out by ferry companies or Eurostar.
“The repatriation of border controls to the UK from France would have disastrous effects on the UK’s logistics industry, as well as on general traffic through the Channel ports,” added FTA head of European policy, Pauline Bastidon. “The Port of Dover has insufficient space to accommodate additional immigration checks – implementing such a change on UK soil would severely disrupt the cross-Channel flow of goods.
“At the current levels of activity, it would mean supply chains are slowed down, with lengthy delays for both passenger and freight transport. This could, in turn, be catastrophic for just-in-time supply chains and cargo of a time-sensitive nature, such as perishable goods.
“There is also the risk of giving the impression to people smugglers that the French border is now ‘open’, which could lead to a return of large numbers of migrants heading to the UK. “Currently, checks are undertaken before trucks leave the Continent, removing stowaways before the vehicles board ferries or enter the Channel Tunnel.
“Removing this possibility would also place operators in a difficult situation and make them even more liable for the heavy penalties imposed by UK Border Force when stowaways are found on board vehicles.”
The longest Operation Stack has been implemented during the migrant crisis was between January and November for a record 32 days.
FTA has estimated the cost of previous disruptions and related delays to the UK International Road Freight industry at almost GBP750,000 (US$970,000) a day.
The freight body says GBP89bn of UK trade passes through Calais every year, while the figure for Dover is GBP119m or 17% of British imports and exports
Truck movements through Dover and the Channel Tunnel were 4m per year in 2015 or 10,000 per day.
UK Road Haulage Association (RHA) chief executive, Richard Burnett said it was “crucial” the Le Touquet Agreement remains in place to maintain UK border controls at Calais, in a bid to control the flow of migrants at Calais.
A spokeswoman for Emmanuel Macron’s En Marche party confined herself to noting to just-auto from Paris: “We are not making any comments.”
