Free Movement of Goods - Gov.uk

offences are dealt with under national legislation and the powers available tocustoms officers to enforce compliance with customs regulations also remain amatter for national legislation. However, EU customs authorities do work closelytogether and meet regularly to share best practice.The UK is a major trading nation, andamong the top ten importers andexporters of goods.1 The port ofFelixstowe alone handles theequivalent of 3.4million twenty-footshipping containers annually,containing goods arriving from anddeparting to both EU and non-EUdestinations.2 The UK’s largest airport,Heathrow, handles around 1.5 milliontonnes of air cargo annually.3 Theseare large and fast-moving logisticaloperations. Making the movement ofgoods across international bordersas smooth as possible reduces costsfor both businesses and consumers.1. Source: World Trade Organisation2. Source: Port of Felixstowe3. Source: Heathrow Airport6. EU competence on Free Movement of GoodsThe EU treaties set out a basic legal framework that allows for the freemovement of goods in the Internal Market. In particular, Articles 34 and 35 of theTreaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) ban any quantitativerestrictions on the import or export of goods between Member States, exceptunder specific exceptions set out in Article 36. These exceptions include:‘on grounds of public morality, public policy or public security; the protection ofhealth and life of humans, animals or plants; the protection of national treasurespossessing artistic, historic or archaeological value; or the protection of industrialand commercial property.’8