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From the Observer
Ports and borders
Countries with ports handling large volumes of UK trade – including Rotterdam, Antwerp, Zeebrugge, Calais and Hamburg – have been preparing for the risk of a no deal since soon after the referendum.
France is hiring an extra 700 customs officers, expanding border control infrastructure such as checkpoints, roads and lorry parks, and building new warehousing in Calais, Cherbourg and at the entrance to the Channel tunnel.
The Netherlands is taking on more than 900 extra customs officials and 145 vets – for checks on food, plant and animal products – at Rotterdam.
Belgium is adding 140 customs officers, and Ireland is adding 1,000 extra staff for customs controls, sanitary and phytosanitary checks and export certification. The Irish government is also buying land near Dublin port for new border inspection bays, and parking for 270 trucks as they await checks, as well as offices for 144 staff. Similar preparations are underway at Rosslare port and Dublin airport.
Shipping routes are also being expanded, and entirely new ones created, which would allow goods to be shipped smoothly between Ireland and Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain without ever having to enter the UK.