Since Brexit, the postal service in the Republic of Ireland reports a 68% decrease in parcels from the United Kingdom.

The problem has been made worse by stricter EU regulations intended to stop tax evasion in e-commerce.

A Post claims that because of Ireland’s trade with the UK, no other EU nation experiences the same volume of non-EU shipments.

The UK Post Office’s intention to implement “the necessary IT for customs” has been hailed as “excellent news”

Prior to this, An Post said that well-known British retailers like M&S and River Island had partnered with them to offer a clear and straightforward “duty paid” option at the online checkout where customers could pay all VAT and customs fees up front.

However, it claimed that small businesses and private individuals were having problems because they were not aware of the “new complex data and tax requirements” that were in effect as of July 2021.

With regard to the new regulations, “An Post has no simple way of advising the personal customers or small businesses posting parcels to Ireland from outside the EU,” the corporation stated. “In contrast to parcels which are posted in bulk from large non-EU retailers, An Post can advise and assist with the new rules.”

Under the Northern Ireland Protocol, Northern Ireland would have had comparable issues, but because of a grace period, EU regulations were never applied to GB-NI shipments.

This grace period is basically made permanent by the Windsor Framework, albeit there will be some obligations for logistics businesses.

To monitor and control any risks of smuggling into the EU market, authorized parcel operators will be required to exchange data with the government.

By September 2024, such data-sharing procedure need to be established.

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