Is your business
THE UK HAS LEFT THE EU AND TIME IS RUNNING OUT BEFORE THE END OF THE TRANSITION PERIOD. YOU NEED TO ACT NOW TO GET YOUR BUSINESS PREPARED
BIt’s all coming together and we’re hopeful that the change will bring more opportunities RICHARD SELBY, DIRECTOR OF PRO STEEL ENGINEERING, PONTYPOOL
usinesses are getting ready to leave the single market and customs union when the transition period ends on December 31.
If you trade with the EU, now is the time to prepare for the UK’s new start, so get processes, contracts and agreements in place so you’re ready to take advantage of new opportunities from January 1, 2021.
One of the most urgent jobs on the list is to prepare for changes in import and export declarations to move goods between Great Britain and Europe. From July 1, 2021 all traders moving goods in and out of Europe will have to make declarations and pay the relevant tariffs.
Richard Selby, director of Pro Steel Engineering, based in Pontypool, Wales, has decided to use a freight forwarder for customs declarations.
“Using a freight forwarder means our responsibility ends when the products leave our building,” says Richard, whose company has projects in France and Sweden.
“If you’ve got 50 people on a construction site in the middle of Paris, you don’t want to be late delivering to them because you’ve got your paperwork wrong.”
Preparations for the end of the UK transition period started two years ago at Pro Steel. “We got our GB EORI number a while ago. It was very straightforward on the gov.uk website; we had the number within a couple of days.
“We also focused on winning work and getting our plans in place so we could maximise what we’re doing,” adds Richard. “I just went through the checker at gov.uk and it was a good reminder. I think we’ve been quite focused on the changes – it’s all coming together and we’re hopeful that the change will bring more opportunities.”