What is it about?

Brexit as a transition from single market member to third country status marks a process of political overhaul and change ; one which has forced a number of stakeholders affected by Brexit to implement strategies of adaptation to risks (traffic reorientation), and opportunities. The reorganisation of cross-Channel flows has been forcing managers to rethink their strategies, and to adapt and develop techniques in place for coping with uncertainty. Their strategy must also take into account their geostrategic advantages and disadvantages. In this context, the Strait of Dover competes with other maritime–land interfaces to polarise flows from the UK and Ireland. This competition may seem unequal for the port of Calais, since it lies between the major seaport of Dunkirk and the ports of Antwerp, Zeebrugge and Rotterdam.

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Why is it important?

Against the backdrop of a globalised polycrisis, this paper explores how various stakeholders implement strategies to mitigate the effects of crises, with a particular focus on Brexit. The publication aims to study the differences between public and private crisis management, as well as geographical variations. Considering the geographical particularities of different locations and the scale at which strategies are implemented, we provide a geographical analysis of Brexit adaptation strategies that offer another perspective than statisticals analysis and interpretation.

Perspectives

This publication is not intended solely for geographers. Of course it has an heavy focus on the geostrategic strait situation and the reebordering process bettwen UK and EU. However, it also explores how stakeholders navigate uncertainty and the ways in which political processes impact the Channel-side economies. More broadly, the publication identifies the methods used to manage the Brexit process and the entities responsible for them.

Thillard Robin
Université de Rouen

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This page is a summary of: Brexit and Its Impact on the European Flow System: Implications for the Dover Strait, March 2026, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004721401_016.
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