Green light for customs post at Brussel South Eurostar station
With the end of the post-Brexit transition period at the end of the month Belgium’s Federal Government has given the green light for the work needed to create customs facilities at the Brussels South Eurostar station. With the UK set to leave the European single market and the customs union in less than three week’s times the Belgian customs will need to have the necessary infrastructure to carry out checks on passengers leaving for and entering the country from the United Kingdom.
Even the if EU and the UK reach an agreement on trade customs facilities will be required as all goods, including the luggage of passengers travelling to and from the UK on the Eurostar, will be subject to customs checks. The new regime needs to up and running by the time the UK leaves the customs union at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
At Brussels South Station the Buildings’ Agency and the Belgian Rail Company NMBS will ensure that temporary prefab customs buildings are installed before 15 December. A permanent customs facility at the station will be up and running before 1 February 2021.