March 22, 2019
The withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU was originally scheduled to happen next week the 29th of March 2019, original notice was given of our plans to leave the EU on the 29th of March 2017. However, it is looking more and more unlikely that a deal will be finalised in time for that to happen, if we go beyond the original deadline without a deal in place then it is likely that significant changes could be enforced. There have been a lot of discussions over a number of years about how Brexit will affect supply chains, whether they operate globally or throughout Europe there is undoubtedly likely to be a knock-on effect noticed.
Brexit will potentially bring in some quite significant changes to customs and a range of other border control procedures such as transport law. These changes could have a heavy impact on areas that many people have probably not yet considered, delivery lead times will be among the most heavily affected areas between EU-UK trade.
The FTA is campaigning on behalf of all of its members, no matter the size of their business, their fleet size or the areas they operate within. The FTA team is working alongside all of the businesses that are voicing their concerns about the upcoming changes that will be enforced when the Brexit deadline is reached, as well as this they are also maintaining a close relationship with all of the relevant departments and agencies across government. The Brussels based FTA staff are providing a communicative link detailing the concerns that industries and businesses have to the EU-27 negotiating the Brexit deal. Furthermore, it is worth businesses remembering that the FTA is in a favourable position to provide support to members that are looking to exploit future opportunities that may arise in trade and logistics services within wider global markets.
So, what is exactly is the FTA campaigning for?
In London, Brussels, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast, FTA is promoting a positive agenda focused key priorities.
• Making the most of global opportunities
• Retaining maximum and as frictionless as possible access to EU markets after Brexit
• Making the most of Brexit domestically to build a stronger Britain.
The FTA has identified eight key areas to prioritise in order to keep Britain trading which are:
• Urgent confirmation of the terms and duration of the transition/implementation period
• Frictionless trading arrangements during the transition/implementation period
• Continued access for UK companies to the benefits of EU agreements with third countries throughout the transition period
• Urgent clarification regarding the UK’s customs classification system, duty rates and VAT arrangements to be used after Brexit in the absence of an agreement
• Arrangements ensuring that conformity, sanitary and phytosanitary checks can take place at the point of production rather than at the border
• Continued unrestricted numbers of vehicles able to cross the UK-EU border
• Continued recognition of vocational driving licences and qualifications, such as Driver Certificate of Professional Competence
• Ability to retain EU workers currently employed by the UK logistics sector and continued access to EU logistics workers employed in the UK on a seasonal basis, but not permanent residents in the UK, to cope with peak demand
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