After two days of confusion, France temporarily lifted, Thursday, December 30, the restrictions which prevented the British in transit to Belgium or other European countries from using the Channel Tunnel with their vehicle, instructions which had taken short of regulars and even the British government.

The blocking concerned the British officially resident in a country of the European Union other than France and who to get there usually cross France by car, as is the case during this period of return from the holidays.

Those residing in France are not affected, nor are passengers on Eurostar trains.

The British Foreign Office had indicated to ask "urgently for clarifications from the French government" after the discovery of the blockages.

Several travelers had bombarded with questions on Twitter Eurotunnel, the company that manages the tunnel, used by trains on which motorists load their car while crossing the Channel.

"Unless they hold a French residence, British citizens are now considered citizens of third countries and can no longer transit through France by road to reach their country of residence in the EU", ended by tweeted Eurotunnel Wednesday evening, evoking a decision of the French government of December 28.

Ditto for ferries: "Only those who have a residence in France will be allowed to enter France", tweeted the company P&O Ferries.

The French Interior Ministry had first replied to AFP that it was about the application of border instructions, updated on December 18 and which now impose a "compelling reason" to enter the territory.

He explained that the British were "third country nationals", a category of travelers for which transit to another EU country is not allowed.

But on Thursday, the ministry backed down.

Many British nationals have gone "in good faith" to the United Kingdom for the holiday season and "find it difficult to reach their country of residence", according to the ministry which has decided to send "instructions to tolerance "to the police force at the borders so that everyone can reach their residence.  

A "disguised Brexit issue"

The application of these rules seems to have been done without prior information to either the travelers or the operators.

French controls are carried out on the English side, before crossing the Channel, at the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone.

Roland Moore, a Briton who has lived in Brussels for eight years and who makes the round trip with his car registered in Belgium at least six times a year, tells AFP that he presented his British passport and his Belgian resident card to the police control at the French borders Tuesday evening. 

"I was told that I will not be going home tonight. I was handed a document explaining that there were new rules," said the public relations manager.

"Even the Eurotunnel was not aware of this change."

"I'm completely lost, that doesn't make sense!", Also confided Thursday morning Fiona Navin-Jones, a Briton who has lived in Belgium for 14 years, and who had returned with her family to England by car for the end. year.

She ended up being able to take the Eurotunnel Shuttle on Thursday, having read that the spouses of people of European Union nationality were authorized to transit through France.

"We finally managed to go by road thanks to the residence card and the composition of the household (a Belgian document, editor's note) because my husband is Irish", testified Fiona Navin-Jones.

"The French rules are still fearful", she was annoyed, concluding that it is a "question of Brexit disguised with the Covid".

With AFP 

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