What are the challenges for exporters to the EU post-Brexit?
In this webinar, we will look at the implications for your business, what it means for your exports, imports and future opportunities.
We will identify the challenges you need to address to successfully export to the EU post-Brexit, including the new rule changes that came into force at the beginning of 2022.
There are two dates available:
Last month we were delighted to join with the Liverpool Library to host a webinar on trading with the EU in 2022.
The webinar covers a number of key topics for businesses, including:
- What changes did Brexit introduce?
- What are the implications?
- Post-Brexit UK-EU trade guide
- What are the opportunities?
Watch the webinar in full below!
Learn more about adapting to the new trading relationship with the EU with our free Post-Brexit Planning Checklist here.
The majority of exporting businesses in a new poll say that the Trade and Co-operation Agreement between the UK and EU in the wake of Brexit is falling short on delivering the benefits it set out to achieve.
The survey, carried out by the British Chambers of Commerce, found that 71% of exporters feel that the new trading arrangement with the EU is not enabling them to grow or increase sales. Only one in eight said it was supporting growth.
Meanwhile, the majority of those quizzed also said that the TCA had increased costs, delays and paperwork requirements, putting UK firms at a competitive disadvantage.
Businesses cited a number of issues with the new arrangement, including a rise in costs for firms and their customers, a lack of resources to deal with new red tape for smaller firms, and an increase in EU customers put off from working with UK businesses over perceived additional trade complexities.
However, some businesses have managed to make light of the TCA, stating that trade had been able to continue without too many significant changes and that it was forcing companies to take a more global outlook with their export strategies.
Head of international trade at the Greater Manchester Chamber, Susana Cordoba, commented on the BCC’s findings that: “As from previous findings, we believe the UK Government must continue to work hard listening to what businesses are facing on the ground and offering practical solutions and support.
Read more: Brexit causing “increased costs, paperwork and border delays”
“Many SMEs are still struggling as they lack the knowledge and skills set to adapt to the new way of trading.”
Free Brexit support for your business
Go Exporting has been working closely with trade bodies and individual firms to help manage and mitigate the upheaval caused by the UK’s departure from the Single Market.
If your business is still struggling to adapt, a good place to start would be our free post-Brexit planning checklist which covers 10 key points including the HS Code, customs declarations and duties.
On the 3rd of March, we’ll be joining Liverpool Library for a free webinar on trading with the EU following the UK’s departure from the European Union.
In this webinar, we will look at the implications for your business, what it means for your exports, imports and future opportunities. We will identify the challenges you need to address to successfully export to the EU post-Brexit, including the new rule changes that came into force at the beginning of 2022.
Presented by Go Exporting CEO Mike Wilson, we will cover the following:
• What are the changes we have seen in our relationship with the EU post-Brexit?
• How do you identify the challenges in your business that you need to consider?
• How do you address the challenges and successfully trade with the EU?
• What are the opportunities brought about by Brexit and how do you make the most of them?
The debut report from the Global Britain Commission has suggested how embracing ‘global Britain’ could deliver a £474 billion economic boost through increased export activity.
The commission, led by former trade secretary Liam Fox, brings together some of the UK’s leading businesses to help make a success of Brexit, and drive the government’s global agenda.
Released just four months following the commission’s launch in October last year, this first report covers a range of areas including what ‘global Britain’ means, why it matters and analysis of the size of the prize for local firms and the economy as a whole.
Key takeaways include:
- Raising per capita exports of goods and services to the level of Germany would mean an additional £474bn of UK exports annually.
- This £474bn export boost could create up to 5.5m export-supporting jobs with a 7% higher-than-average pay.
- The US has the 19th highest rate of outward FDI per capita in the OECD. Raising this to match France’s level would equate to an additional £33bn of FDI outflow per year.
- The UK would see an extra £61bn of R&D investment if investment levels per person were raised to that seen in South Korea, supporting 1.9m jobs in the process.
- Raising the UK’s per-person venture capital investment levels to that of the US would be equivalent to an additional £19bn of VC funding each year.
You can read the report in full here.
In his introduction, Dr Fox noted that: “The UK remains one of the world’s top destinations for inward investment for well-defined reasons; a well understood and respected legal system; a skilled workforce with relatively (at least in a European context) liberal labour laws; some of the world’s top universities, open to business collaboration; a stable regulatory environment; moderate taxation policy; a vibrant tech sector; good IP protection and a creative and innovative environment for business start-ups.
“All these elements form a sound basis for future prosperity if we take full advantage of these factors and develop our competitive advantages further. As a huge services producer and exporter, we offer many of the products that developing countries will require to develop their economic and social capacities.”
A winning export strategy for your business
At Go Exporting, we help ambitious businesses to open a world of opportunities through exports. Learn more about how we can help you develop an export strategy here.
For more expert insights and analysis on everything from finding the best export market for your product to preparing for your export journey, sign-up to our Expert Exporter resource hub.
A parliamentary report has highlighted how UK firms have been hit by increased costs and border delays due to Brexit.
The report, created by the Public Accounts Committee, said that it was clear that leaving the European Union was also having an impact on UK trade volumes.
Whilst businesses around the world have reeled from the impact of the pandemic, the report said it was clear that the EU exit was having a negative impact for UK businesses.
PAc chair MegHillier said of the report that: “One of the great promises of Brexit was freeing British businesses to give them the headroom to maximise their productivity and contribution to the economy – even more desperately needed now on the long road to recovery from the pandemic.
“Yet the only detectable impact so far is increased costs, paperwork and border delays.”
The report set out a number of recommendations to the government to support UK businesses within the transition, including:
- Government must set out its scenario planning and modelling for passenger volumes in 2022 and clarify how it will manage the increased pressures and any contingencies that may be required.
- To minimise the costs to business as far as possible.
- Government should identify what issues businesses are facing in relation to the new border requirements and in particular determine how they can provide SMEs with additional support.
- Government should set out departments’ assessment of EU trader and haulier readiness, to determine whether any intervention by either itself or the EU may be required; and set out any plans for additional support.
- Government should continue its efforts to resolve the challenges of the Protocol and ensure that departments are ready to put any negotiated outcome into operation.
Post-Brexit planning checklist
For many firms, this is a confusing and frustrating time, especially for those with limited experience of customs declarations, licenses, VAT on import and rules of origin.
We’ve created a free checklist to help you navigate the choppy waters and adjust to a new trading environment.
UK prime minister Boris Johnson is hoping to ‘unleash the benefits of Brexit’ with a new plan designed to cut red tape for businesses.
The Brexit Freedoms Bill will look to end the specific status of EU law within the UK’s legal framework, ensuring that future laws can more easily be amended to replace carried-over EU regulations.
Numerous reviews of inherited EU laws have been undertaken to see where changes can be made to help businesses invest and create jobs.
Some key areas that could see change include:
- Changes to GDPR and data protection rules
- Updates to laws surrounding genetic modification, clinic trials, transportation and AI
- Slashing red tape for businesses
These changes would look to build on alterations already made by the government out of alignment with EU rules, including the simplification of alcohol duties, scrapping VAT on tampons and creating new subsidy schemes.
Help for businesses
Any reduction in the amount of paperwork and required regulations to follow will be a big help for UK businesses who, since the start of the year, have seen the realities of ‘Brexit for real’ take hold as the transition period came to an end.
Importing and exporting firms, in particular, have seen a massive amount of upheaval with new requirements around the HS code, customs declarations, rules of origin, pre-notification of imports, VAT and Incoterms (just to name a few!).
At Go Exporting, we’ve created a free guide on the key changes since Brexit for UK businesses to help guide you through the new trading relationship. You can download your copy right here.
The UK has begun discussions with India over a free trade agreement at an event held earlier this month in New Delhi.
International trade secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan met with her counterpart Piyush Goyal to formally begin talks on a deal that would support access for UK firms into one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies.
India is set to become the third-largest economy on the planet by the middle of the century with a population larger than the UK and US combined, with a growing middle class, that could help boost trade by up to £28 billion by 2035 and increase wages by £3 billion in the UK – supporting nearly 100,000 jobs and doubling current UK exports to the nation.
A free trade agreement with India would also be a big step forward in the UK’s ambitions to refocus trade on the Indo-Pacific and potential membership of the Asia-Pacific trading block.
Ms Trevelyan said of the potential FTA: “A deal with India is a golden opportunity to put UK businesses at the front of the queue as the Indian economy continues to grow rapidly. By 2050 India will be the world’s third-largest economy with a middle class of almost 250 million shoppers.
“We want to unlock this huge new market for our great British producers and manufacturers across numerous industries from food and drink to services and automotive.”
Read more: UK trade deficit with China trebles
“As an independent, deal-making nation the UK is broadening our economic horizons and forging stronger partnerships with the fastest-growing economies of the world. India marks the start of our ambitious 5-star year of UK trade and will show how the deals we negotiate will boost the economies across all nations and help level up all regions of the UK.”
Earlier this month we were delighted to join Business Wales to host a webinar on international marketing.
A critical element of a successful international business strategy, the webinar covered a broad range of elements including:
- Defining your market
- Knowing your market
- Digital marketing
- E-commerce
- Conferences, exhibitions and advertising
- Direct sales and marketing
- Analysing competitors
- Building an international marketing strategy
Watch the webinar for free below!
We created a free international marketing whitepaper to go alongside the webinar which goes into more detail on each of the aspects covered.
Ports in the UK have started the New Year under new rules with thousands of additional staff being deployed to help mitigate potential delays.
As of the 1st January, traders now must meet full customs requirements including submitting declarations, paying VAT and exercise duty and also submitting new notifications surrounding animal products.
This next phase of the UK’s departure from the European Union and Single Market is a big step for ports and businesses alike and marks the end of the transitional period for most firms.
Chief executive of the British Ports Association, Richard Ballantyne, commented on the shift that: “This is another milestone for those involved in trade between Britain and Europe and we are hopeful importers will be ready to follow the new rules. There has been a huge amount of hard work from industry and government preparing new systems and processes, which have been developed at some pace. We are optimistic that these new arrangements will work although do expect there to be a small degree of teething difficulties.”
Read more: Rules of Origin guide & workbook
He continued: “That said, in terms of physical activities, much of the customs processes are relatively straightforward. Most UK ports with European trade are therefore more focused on the introduction of checks on animal and plant-based products at Border Control Posts, next July. This is where there will be significant changes to borders processes with the likelihood of interventions, delays and even extras costs for British importers.”
For more help and advice on what your business needs to be doing post-Brexit, download this free planning checklist.
