Britain’s Freight Transport Association (FTA) has added its voice to industry bodies welcoming HMRC’s (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) announcement of a short-term, six-month suspension of the introduction of Safety and Security Declarations to allow operators and traders to focus on unresolved border issues post Brexit.
British authorities have unveiled plans to phase in pre-arrival forms for European Union (EU) imports known as Entry Summary Declarations, if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
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“HMRC [‘s] announcement on the temporary waiver of security and safety declarations for post-Brexit logistics movements is a great response to FTA’s campaigning over the past two years and a positive step towards minimising disruptions on trade between the UK and EU and integrated supply chains after Brexit,” said FTA head of global & European policy, Pauline Bastidon.
“However, it is imperative the UK government maintains pressure on the EU to ensure a similar waiver is adopted by the EU. To ensure Britain can keep trading efficiently, it is vital the European Commission and UK agree a longer term, more sustainable arrangement to remain in the same security zone, which would make safety and security declarations for UK-EU trade irrelevant.
“Above all it is vital the UK’s supply chain remains as frictionless as possible – British business needs to be confident goods and materials will continue to transit the nation’s borders as swiftly and efficiently as possible.”
