Business, Freight News

Time to think again on customs unions, says FTA

[ June 9, 2017   //   Chris ]

Following the election result on 9 June, the Freight Transport Association (FTA) has called for the new government to rethink its plan to leave the EU Customs Union.

It says that exiting the customs union could mean tariffs, border checks, customs declarations and other bureaucracy for UK businesses that trade in the EU, and their logistics providers.

FTA argues that

Negotiating a replacement trade deal that avoids these would require a strong and convincing mandate, which the electionfailed to deliver. FTA deputy chief executive, James Hookham argues: “The importance of frictionless arrangements for UK trade with the EU, particularly with Ireland, means that the decision to leave the customs union should be reviewed as a matter of urgency, and other ways of achieving a positive outcome for Brexit should now be considered.”

 He adds that after four weeks of the general election campaign”vital time has been lost to prepare for the crucial Brexit negotiations.  It is now imperative that that the new government focuses its efforts on supporting the logistics sector to ensure that business can continue to trade efficiently with our EU customers and suppliers.”

FTA argues that the delivery of a seamless trading process between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, in particular has confounded even the best trade and legal experts, and needs to be an urgent priority for government ahead of the start of Brexit negotiations.”

Tags: FTA