On Wednesday September 18th UK Government, the Treasury (FST) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officially launched the UK Customs Academy at an event at the House of Commons in Westminister, London.
A lot of people ask me how companies should prepare for Brexit. There is no simple answer to this, of course, but I usually suggest that they start taking the following actions.
A major focus of No-Deal Brexit is how the border formalities can be solved on the island of Ireland as well as the volumes of goods going between UK and EU and passing through the English Channel on ro-ro or via the Eurotunnel. For a long period of time there were even discussions and different opinions around if there would be border procedures or not. For the professional Customs and Border community this has always been obvious – when a country leaves a Customs Union and a Customs territory there will be a customs border. When a Customs border appears, border formalities are necessary in line with the international trade legal framework.
Up to 10 ‘free ports’ to open across UK after Brexit under new government plans. Will it be successful? Yes, it could become a real success.
We are quickly approaching the October 31st when United Kingdom is set to leave the European Union if a deal is not in place before that date.
For many businesses, Brexit appears to be a problem with no solution. Every fact is contested. Opinion is everywhere. Uncertainty is rife. This type of ambiguity is almost impossible to deal with in a professional manner. Should we prepare for the end of the world on 31st October, or will the whole thing pass us by with barely a ripple – a damp squib; a storm in a teacup?