TIPS AND TRAINING FOR EXPORTING TO THE UNITED KINGDOM
With the UK’s exit from the European Union, final as of 31/01/2020, the free movement of people, goods, services and capital to and from Europe is over. We find ourselves with two separate markets, different regulatory and legal spaces, resulting in barriers to trade, mobility and cross-border trade that did not exist before. In order not to lose the market share gained in trade relations with the UK and benefit from the opportunities provided by the Free Trade Agreement, companies need to be prepared and trained to deal with the changes taking place.
Giada Battaglia, Export Area Manager of Assica, during the conference ‘Export in Brexit sauce’ at TuttoFood 2021, pointed out that although in theory the Free Trade Agreement envisages the liberalisation of 100% of tariff lines and a gradual introduction of phytosanitary controls, customs procedures and technical standards, the context has certainly changed a lot. In concrete terms, of the 117,000 companies operating in Italy, a good 40%, according to Confindustria, are not accustomed to customs procedures and operations because they operate exclusively within the EU.
Even if exporting to the UK is now more difficult, it is important for Italian companies to move earlier and better than their competitors to conquer spaces that were previously occupied by others. To do this, it is necessary to become fully aware of the new bureaucratic procedures that in the field of customs and phytosanitary controls will regulate trade across the Channel. To this end, ASSICA has organised several seminars and workshops for the benefit of members, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, customs experts, the Brexit Help Desk of the ICE London Office and Confindustria. One should not be discouraged because, according to the authoritative opinion of Fulvio Liberatore, CEO of Easyfrontier, Brexit is a great stimulus for Italian companies. The numerous customs simplifications introduced available to companies, if well known, mastered and used, will offer a great competitive advantage and, since they can then be used in all world markets, will create extraordinary new opportunities even in other countries.
