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“Strange” Custom Duties

The Luxembourgish newspaper Le Quotidien explains that, Boris Johnson has stated that the Brexit agreement with the EU was "dead", and that, furthermore, he would find it "odd" that the EU imposes customs duties on the UK post-Brexit. "It would be very odd if the EU alone decided to impose customs duties on goods from the UK in the event of a no deal Brexit,” he told LBC Radio. "It would be a return to the Napoleonic continental blockade," added the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, who tends to pepper his interventions with historical references, referring here to the economic blockade imposed on the UK by Napoleon from 1806-1814. "It would not be in the interest of their companies, let alone their consumers," Johnson said. After claiming in a televised debate last week that a no deal Brexit would not mean the return of customs duties between the UK and the EU, he acknowledged that this would require an agreement between both sides.

Read the article in French: Hard Brexit : Boris Johnson trouverait « bizarre » que l’UE impose des droits de douane ([link removed])

Brexit, so what?

El Español reflects on the past 3 years and how gradually the initial fear of Spanish companies of a no-deal Brexit has subsided. When the UK voted to leave, it looked like Brexit would complicate business for Spanish companies with interests in the UK, mainly those related to tourism. However, it seems like companies have been adapting to the idea and uncertainty of Brexit and although the possible exit of the UK from the EU without an agreement is still possible. Companies such as Iberia, Meliá or Aena say they don’t believe anymore that Brexit will have a significant impact on their activity and want to keep the UK as one of their key markets. The reason for this change in behaviour is partly the time the companies had to prepare for different scenarios and the confidence of companies such as Iberia and Aena that the EU and the UK will an agreement for the air transport sector.
Read the article in Spanish: Meliá, Iberia y Aena pierden el miedo al 'brexit' tres años después del referéndum ([link removed])

Brits away, English stays

The Dutch newpspaper Trouw questions whether the departure of the British is a good time for the EU to embrace English as a common neutral language ? 97% of 13-year-olds in the EU learn English. European anti-immigrant clubs and climate protesters, all work together in English. More and more university courses are in English, online newspapers are in English, and so on. For a long time, German had been the leading European language, French was that of Brussels diplomacy, and English was often a secondary language. But, the Internet and the accession of the eastern neighbours have made English ever more dominant. Most official EU documents are now written in English and then translated into the other 23 official languages - considerably costly. The biggest barrier is emotional, symbolic. "The language of Europe is translation," wrote Umberto Eco.

Read the article in Dutch: Ideeën over de grens: Britten weg, Engels blijft ([link removed])
“The Friendship Tour”

According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Ken Follett, Lee Child, Kate Mosse and Jojo Moyes, four heavyweights of British literature, are launching a "Friendship Tour" of Europe representing the 48% of those who voted against Brexit. The objective, as Follett explains: "We are worried, embarrassed and irritated by Brexit and recent political events in our country. We all have millions of readers in continental Europe and we want to tell them how pleased we are to have their support, despite the wrong impression that is being given across the Channel". "It's not about persuading Britain to stay in the EU; my own feeling is that train has already left the station," said Follett. "It's about reassuring people in neighbouring countries in Europe that we don't feel this way, we don't want to leave Europe, we don't hate foreigners.”

Read the article in Italian: Ken Follett & Co: “Così noi scrittori gireremo l’Europa contro la Brexit” ([link removed])
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