Robert Keen’s Column
BIFAlink
www.bifa.org
EU Exit issues rumble on
BIFAlink is the official magazine of the British International Freight Association Redfern House, Browells Lane, Feltham TW13 7EP Tel: 020 8844 2266
As this issue of BIFAlink is delivered to your desk, or inbox, Britain will be welcoming a new Prime Minister, facing a bulging in-tray of issues to address, many of them trade related. There is a perception from many in the UK that “Brexit is done”; however, among many unresolved issues related to EU exit, at the top of the new PM’s in-tray should be how to ensure unhindered trade between Britain and Northern Ireland without breaching the Northern Ireland Protocol. In this issue of BIFAlink , several articles touch on some of the other unresolved EU exit related issues, many of which are related to Customs procedures.
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(A company limited by guarantee. Registered in England: 391973. VAT Registration: 216476363) Director General Robert Keen r.keen@bifa.org Executive Director Robert Windsor, Policy & Compliance – Surface & Legal
On page 8, we bring you a report of an HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) review, which concludes that the SME sector largely wants to use a Customs agent at the frontier, with respondents stating that capacity in the sector has been improving since EU exit, adding that there is sufficient capacity for GB-EU trade. We make no apologies for once again including a four-page guide to the Customs Declaration Service (CDS), with the deadline for making the transition from CHIEF to CDS for import entries on the immediate horizon at the end of this month. The CDS train left the station long before the EU referendum, but the vote in favour of exit moved the tracks somewhat and probably made the development of CDS and transition from CHIEF more complicated. Our BIFA award winner profile in this issue is also topical and reveals how Brunel European’s proactive approach to the challenge of the UK leaving the EU took it to victory in the 2021 BIFA Supply Chain Management category. With the submission deadline for the BIFA Awards 2022 competition now around a month away, make sure that you have begun to get your story ‘on paper’ to avoid a last-minute panic as October begins. See the article on page 22 for some guidance on the entry process. The UK business community remains negative with the publication of a report (Economic Confidence Index) by The Institute of Directors. The report notes that business leader optimism about the prospects for the UK economy remained very low, at -54, in July with the difficulties in the UK’s trading relationship with the EU cited by 18% of respondents, coming second only to the rate of inflation in the UK (29%) as a cause for concern. Trade is facing greater headwinds than it has faced for at least the last four decades. EU exit has reintroduced friction into GB-EU trade and business needs to adjust to this situation. Government thinking appears to be that there is a need to offset the negative impact of increased friction by improving frontier procedures. It has announced six Ecosystem of Trust pilots that will assess the use of technology, data and trusted trader relationships in an attempt to create a more secure border, while limiting the need for the government to conduct compliance activities, with traders allowed to perform more self-assessment at their premises. The pilots will run until the end of the year to establish how they can be scaled to a new border model, which will increase the efficiency, speed and, crucially, the safety of the UK’s trade borders. It will be interesting to see how projects, such as developing the single trade window, make progress over the next few years, as well as seeing whether the Northern Ireland Protocol issue can be resolved without a trade war with the UK’s largest trading partner. I end this issue’s column with thanks to our friends at EFTA (the European Freight Trades Association) which has contributed an article on page 6 about fraudsters and fake e-mail addresses. Many of you will be well aware of the many scams perpetrated by fraudsters and that continued vigilance is essential. EFTA specialises in identifying and warning its members on the cons that are out there.
r.windsor@bifa.org Executive Director Spencer Stevenson s.stevenson@bifa.org Executive Director Carl Hobbis c.hobbis@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Advisor – Customs Igor Popovics i.popovics@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Advisor – Air David Stroud d.stroud@bifa.org Editorial Co-ordinator Sharon Hammond s.hammond@bifa.org Communications Manager Natalie Pitts n.pitts@bifa.org Membership Supervisor Sarah Milton s.milton@bifa.org
Published by Park Lane Publishing peter@parklanepublishingltd.com Contributors
Robert Keen, Robert Windsor, David Stroud, Spencer Stevenson, Carl Hobbis, Sharon Hammond, Natalie Pitts, Igor Popovics Note to media: If you wish to use items in this magazine that are older than one month, please contact the editor to ensure that the item in question still reflects the current circumstances. Please be advised that BIFA DOES NOT OFFER LEGAL ADVICE. BIFA is not a law firm and the authors of this publication are not legally qualified and do not have any legal training. The guidance and assistance set out herein are based on BIFA’s own experience with the issues concerned and should not be in any circumstances regarded or relied upon as legal advice. It is strongly recommended that anyone considering further action based on the information contained in this publication should seek the advice of a qualified professional.
Robert Keen Director General
September 2022
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