The Brexit working group of the Construction Leadership Council has published guidance for companies on the movement of goods and materials into and between Great Britain and Northern Ireland after the expiration of the EU transition period on 31 December 2020.
The British Government has made clear that when the UK leaves the transition period with the European Union, it will also leave the EU Customs Union and begin its own custom regime as an independent trading state, whether a deal is or is not secured with the European Union.
The UK will therefore institute its own customs territory and UK businesses who import goods will need to prepare to comply with the new customs rules from 1 January 2021.
The guide is broken down into nine sections for businesses to refer to over the coming months:
- Customs Regime – Importing Goods and Materials
- Trade in Goods and Materials between Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Trade in Goods and Materials between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland
- Tariffs and Tariff-Rate Quotas – The UK Global Tariff
- Standards and Alignment
- Preparedness of Border and Emergency Planning
- Shortage Materials and Stockpiling
- Useful Resources
- Further Information
Commenting John Newcomb, Builders Merchants Federation Chief Executive and co-chair of the CLC Movement of Goods and Materials Workstream said: “With many businesses focused on trading through the Covid-19 pandemic they may have lost sight of the fact that the UK’s transition period with the EU ends on 31 December.
“We must all be prepared for new customs rules and other changes that come into effect from 1 January. Members of this working group also form the CLC’s Product Availability Group and the two areas are closely aligned.
“While the majority of construction products used in the UK are made here, almost a quarter (24%) are imported, with nearly two thirds (61%) of these coming from EU countries – just one reason why the whole building materials supply chain should engage with this guidance.”
The guidance is the third publication in a suite of business readiness advice that the group intends to publish ahead of 31 December 2020. Guidance on Conformity Marking (Standards and Alignment) will be published by the CLC Brexit working group next week.
