STOCKHOLM, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Swedish companies and government agencies are intensifying preparations for how to deal with a British exit from the European Union (EU) after negotiations deadlocked at this week's EU summit.
As the latest attempt to reach a divorce deal between the United Kingdom and the EU failed, a "no-deal" scenario now looks more likely and that means all Swedish companies that export goods to the UK must consider what such a scenario would mean for them, Sweden's trade minister Ann Linde told news agency TT on Thursday.
"There isn't sufficient understanding for this in Swedish industries," Linde said. "You really have to consider whether you will be affected by the rules changing and, if so, what the impact will be on your company because there could be substantial changes."
Linde said all government departments have also been tasked with investigating what will happen if Brits living in Sweden will be counted as third-country citizens after March 2019, which is when Britain intends to leave the EU.
Linde said: "Will they be able to remain at the universities, will they be able to access healthcare?"
Jan Olsson, who is responsible for Brexit-coordination at the Prime Minister's Office, told Swedish Television that a no-deal Brexit would have very dramatic consequences in some areas, such as customs procedures, EU citizens' rights, air traffic, the finance sector and medical supplies.
Since the UK is part of the EU inner market and the EU customs union, a no-deal Brexit will mean the UK will become "like any other third-party country with which we have no agreement," Olsson said.
