What a joke! EU dismisses UK's customs union paper proposal within HOURS
EUROPEAN Union leaders will refuse to consider a new customs agreement with Britain until the precise terms of its departure from Brussels have been thrashed out.
Britain is trying to strike a customs deal with the EU before Brexit
Brexit Secretary David Davis has published proposals for new customs arrangements to allow trade with the EU in the first of a series of "future partnership papers”.
One option would see the UK manage a new customs border with administration streamlined to the "fullest extent possible".
Another is for a customs partnership which would not need a customs border between the UK and the rest of the EU.
Brexit Secretary David Davis and his EU counterpart Michel Barnier
But the European Commission said it was too early to talk about the customs issue.
A spokesman said: "We will now study the UK position paper on customs carefully in the light of the European Council guidelines and the council's negotiating directives.
"The next negotiation round will start in the week of 28 August.
The EU is unwilling to talks about customs arrangements until Brexit is thrashed out
An agreement on a future relationship between the EU and the UK can only be finalised once the UK has become a third country
"We take note of the UK's request for an implementing period and its preferences as regards the future relationship.
“But we will only address them once we have made sufficient progress on the terms of the orderly withdrawal.
"An agreement on a future relationship between the EU and the UK can only be finalised once the UK has become a third country.
"As Michel Barnier has said on several occasions, 'frictionless trade' is not possible outside the Single Market and Customs Union."
David Davis has set out his position in a series of Brexit documents
The EU is also working on a position paper on the customs union, following a tranche of documents published before the summer on issues such as citizens' rights and nuclear materials.
Mr Davis has refused to rule out whether the UK would have to pay for the temporary customs deal, which he said would last "something like two years".
He also suggested the temporary arrangements could allow Britain to negotiate trade deals with other countries for when it leaves, as current rules bar members of the EU customs union from making their own deals outside the bloc.