CECE Recommendations on the negotiations for a new partnership with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
On 31st January 2020, the United Kingdom (UK) ended its membership with the European Union (EU) after 47 years. Since then an 11-month transition period has begun during which most of the previous arrangements will remain in place until December 31st 2020. As of January 1st, 2021, the EU and the UK will enter a new phase in their relationship.
With this CECE position paper, the construction equipment industry gives comprehensive recommendations to negotiators of the future EU-UK economic partnership agreement. This deal must include provisions that prevent divergences and enables alignment of, inter alia, regulations and standards, to the greatest extent possible. This would allow both parties to keep a similar pace with the respective regulatory frameworks concerning industrial goods and provide the best conditions for market access due to the highly interconnected supply chains, the longstanding economic integration and the geographic proximity between the EU and the UK.
In light of the enormous disruptions brought by the COVID-19 outbreak in the political and business communities of the EU and of the UK, the construction equipment community urges both parties to agree on an extension of the transition period. Failure to reach a profitable deal within the strict timeframe would mean falling back to a WTO setup, which would have dramatic consequences for businesses and finally for citizens on both sides of the Channel.
The CECE position paper touches upon all dimensions of the future economic partnership between the EU and the UK. The construction equipment community recommends the absence of tariff and non – tariff barriers, with a specific focus on the mutual recognition of conformity assessment procedures and market surveillance provisions as well as the use of international and harmonised standards. Specific recommendations are given with regard to customs facilitation, access to public procurement, deployment of qualified personnel and free flow of data.
Read the full Position Paper to see CECE recommendations.
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