#Brexit: Zeebrugge port authority prepares for future channel trade

In the afternoon of 26 April, a delegation from the Territorial Cohesion Commission in the CoR visited the Port of Zeebrugge to see the impact that Brexit will have on the port and the wider Flemish economy. The Zeebrugge port CEO Joachim Coens and other key figures from the port spoke to the delegation.   

Of the total trade in the Port of Zeebrugge, almost half is with the United Kingdom, 67% of this trade is exported across the channel. A hard Brexit, without a customs agreement, would thus have a huge impact on the work in the port.  Preparing Brexit is a key priority for the business sector that is doing everything possible to mitigate the negative consequences. Unfortunately, during the Brexit negotiations, the future relationship will only be dealt with at a later stage.

The Port of Zeebrugge is trying to advance preparation as much as possible in order to anticipate consequences and devise new business processes. The visit of the COTER Commission (Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget) of the Committee of the Regions, came at a key time, according to Belgian MP Karl Vanlouwe (N-VA) (pictured): “The Port of Zeebrugge is proactively preparing for Brexit and I wanted this good example could be shared to representatives of the Committee of the Regions from different European countries (Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Lithuania, Poland, etc.). A no-deal Brexit may expose our port and the wider economy hugely and it is therefore imperative that we examine all options for our future relationship with the UK.

"During the visit the Flemish concerns within the European Committee of the Regions were highlighted  and indeed a resolution on the UK withdrawal from the EU will be discussed at the next CoR Plenary in mid-May."

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