Goods exports from the Netherlands to the United Kingdom were 21 percent lower last year than in 2019, before the corona crisis and Brexit. According to figures that it Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) published Tuesday, the total value of goods exports was 40.5 billion euros in 2021, compared to 51.4 billion euros in 2019.
The decrease is due to the fact that fewer goods passed through the Netherlands to the United Kingdom. The export of products made in the Netherlands rose by 20 percent. Last year it was more than half of the total export to the United Kingdom. Higher prices for metals, for example, contribute to this, the CBS writes.
Statistics Netherlands blames the reduced transit through Brexit. Since the United Kingdom left the European Union, EU countries have to comply with stricter rules. The statistical office thinks that some of the goods that were normally transported via the Netherlands now go directly into the UK. In particular, the so-called ‘quasi-transit’, whereby goods are not given a Dutch owner, has fallen sharply from 11.6 billion to 2.5 billion euros.
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