– Daddy… And what continent is Norway on?
– Continent? Yes, it’s a continent, not a contingency. Contingent is something else.
– What’s a contingent then?
– You see, Stasiek, there are goods for which the European Union reduces customs duty, but only up to a certain quantity. So, for example, you can bring in a thousand trucks of honey from a country to the EU without paying customs duty, or paying it at a reduced rate, but from the thousand and first onwards, you have to pay customs duty at the normal rate.
– I see, but how does the person buying that honey know if their truck will be the nine hundred and ninety-ninth or, for example, the thousand and first?
– Well, no one knows that. It’s like a race, whoever gets there first wins. Often, the year-round quotas are exhausted within a few days or weeks from when they become available.
– But is it logical that someone buys the honey and doesn’t know how much customs duty they’ll pay?
– Stasiek! I assure you, there’s logic here, just a bit different.
– Is it about making importers feel a thrill of excitement?
– Not exactly. It’s about making someone who wants to take advantage of this quota think five times whether it’s a good idea… and in the end, preferably give up…
– So why does the EU create these quotas at all?
– Well, to allow a certain country to export more.
– They want to allow it but in a way that the one they allowed gives up on their own?
– Stasiek, I’m starting to believe you’ll make a career in Brussels. Let’s go get ice cream!
Author: PS
