No-deal Brexit to cost Netherlands €2.3 billion

If the United Kingdom leaves the European Union with no agreement in place, it will cost the Netherlands around 2.3 billion euros up to 2023, the Court of Audit said in a new report published on Monday. This involves extra money for Customs and the Dutch food and consumer product safety authority NVWA, as well as higher contributions to the EU, ANP reports.

Once the UK leaves the EU, the other remaining countries will have to fill the gap in the EU's budget left by the withdrawal of the UK's contribution. If there's a no-deal Brexit, the Netherlands will have to pay an additional 1.6 billion euros to Brussels over the next two years.

The Dutch government will also have to push 700 million euros extra into services that will be given additional work by the Brexit, like Customs and the NVWA, until 2023, according to the report. In the event of a no-deal Brexit, the British will no longer be covered by European agreements and customs checks will have to be carried out on ferries. Products imported from the UK will also have to undergo extra checks.

The Court of Audit expects that the Netherlands will have to contribute 1.25 billion euros extra to the EU in 2021. That amount can be 500 thousand euros lower if an agreement is made before the British leave the EU. From 2026 the Netherlands will contribute between 2.5 billion and 3 billion extra to the EU.