British Marine welcomes UK-EU trade deal, but still much work to be done

Published on: 07 January 2021

British Marine welcomes the Trade and Cooperation Agreement made between the UK Government and the European Union on the 24 December 2020.

After months of uncertainty, this agreement provides British Marine members with the reassurances they were looking for to ensure ongoing tariff-free trade with our closest trading partners. However, this is accompanied by a number of new customs procedures, including new 'rules of origin' requirements, which are needed in order to qualify as tariff-free. Businesses must be prepared as many of the new requirements imposed need to be met from 1 January 2021.

Lesley Robinson, CEO of British Marine, commented; 'The Brexit deal comes as a relief to leisure marine businesses in the UK, and offers some security as 2021 begins with the UK now outside the European Union. However, with the agreement being reached with just days before the end of the transition period, further guidance from government is required quickly to ensure businesses and their supply chains can operate as seamlessly as possible without delays.'

British Marine's Brexitmicrosite has a wealth of information and has been updated with a summary of the details of the agreement and how these measures are likely to impact member's activities going forward.

With so much detail to go through, British Marine is continuing to engage with the UK Government and will be sharing the latest advice, clarifications and guidance to support its members as soon as it is available.

To keep members updated, British Marine is running an interactive panel discussion on Thursday 14 January 2021 where an expert guest panel will be on hand to discuss what the deal means and answer any questions members may still have. Further details about the panel and how to register can be found here.

If you are a British Marine member and have a question related to Brexit, please email our dedicated Brexit account [e-mail] and one of the team will get back to you.