Brexit White Paper: What It Suggested for Air Travel, Health Cover and Short Trips to Europe

Several travel priorities appeared in the UK's negotiating blueprint

ABTA said the White Paper offered encouraging signs for the travel industry because it referred to open skies access, continued cooperation with EASA, visa-free travel for leisure and short business trips, and retention of EHIC. For the association, that suggested the Government recognised the economic importance of travel and tourism in the future UK-EU relationship.

Some useful signals still came with qualifications

The document also referred to the possibility that visa-free travel could operate alongside reciprocal electronic authorisation systems, which ABTA noted in the context of future border arrangements. But the association stressed that the paper was only a statement of UK objectives, not a final agreement, and that the EU and individual member states would have their own positions as negotiations continued.

Photo by Timur Weber on Pexels

Important gaps remained on VAT, labour and the final deal

ABTA said the White Paper was less clear on issues such as posted workers and VAT on services, both of which mattered to travel businesses. Its broader message was that the direction looked constructive, but the outcome would still depend on further talks, political pressure and the shape of the eventual settlement.