31 October 2018

Brexit Bulletin – September 2018

Welcome to the first monthly Brexit Bulletin. It will be your one-stop-shop for all things Brexit and its impact on the printing industry. This month's Bulletin will cover the following:

1. Key dates/Brexit timeline
2. Your key concerns - September 2018
3. Summary of print-relevant Government 'Technical Notices' for a no-deal scenario
4. Tariff checker for imported goods
5. Latest useful online resources
6. Information for members in Northern Ireland
7. We want to hear from you

Key dates/Brexit Bulletin

17 - 18 October 2018
A two-day EU summit during which both sides hope to agree an outline of the withdrawal agreement between the UK Parliament and the EU.

31 October 2018
The EU's chief negotiator had originally said negotiations must be complete before the end of October to give the 27 EU countries time to sign off the deal.

November 2018
There is potential for an emergency EU summit in November if a deal is not reached in October. The aim would be to finalise the withdrawal agreement at this event.

13 December 2018
Final EU summit of 2018. If a deal has not been reached, but both sides feel they are close to an agreement, this would be the final opportunity.

21 January 2019
If the Government has not presented the withdrawal agreement to Parliament for debate by this date, powers for MPs to influence ministers' next steps will kick in.

29 March 2019
Brexit Day. As things stand, deal or no deal, Brexit is due to happen at 11pm UK time. But, if a deal of some sort is agreed with the EU, then Parliament has to pass the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill before 29 March.

31 December 2020
The transition period is due to end and the new economic and political relationship between the UK and the EU to begin.

Your key concerns - September 2018

Since the EU referendum in June 2016, we've been tracking the mood of the printing industry in relation to Brexit. Low levels of confidence have been the norm, with your top considerations for Government being:

- Retaining the ease of the UK-EU trade
- Developing a clear strategy for international trade and economic agreements
- A post-Brexit adaptation period

Detailed concerns are now beginning to emerge, with many of you worried about non-tariff barriers - border controls, country of origin checks, regulations and standards checks - causing delays to supplies reaching the UK. Absorbing the costs of tariffs themselves was also an issue as were concerns about suppliers increasing prices in anticipation of March 2019. In terms of people, retaining existing EU staff remains a key consideration for some members, and to a lesser extent, ease of movement across the EU when attending meetings and trade shows was also raised.

Look out for Brexit-related questions in next month's Printing Outlook survey.

Summary of print-relevant Government 'Technical Notes' for a no-deal scenario

The Government has published a series of 'Technical Notices' (TN) which provide information to businesses and individuals regarding a potential 'no deal' outcome of the Brexit negotiations. A ‘no deal' scenario is one where the UK leaves the EU and becomes a third country at 11pm GMT on 29 March 2019 without a Withdrawal Agreement and framework for a future relationship in place. While the Government considers a 'no deal' unlikely, it is keen to prepare for all eventualities come March 2019.

The TNs published so far have covered areas including medical supplies, financial services, nuclear safeguards, farming and organic food production. There is no Technical Notice which relates to the print industry or the manufacturing industry more widely, so we have identified and summarised just those TNs which are most relevant to our industry. Click here to find out more.

Tariff checker for imported goods

It may be helpful to get an early idea of what the World Trade Organisation's tariffs are, if these are to be applied to UK-EU trade. InterIreland, an Irish trade body, have trawled through the possible World Trade Organisation (WTO) tariffs that may apply to the movement of goods that your business may use or produce.

The tariff for the main consumable for import for printing and packaging companies - paper and board - is 0%. Most printed products are also 0% (with the exception of playing cards at 2.7%). However, printing inks have a 6.5% tariff and most printing machinery a 1.7% tariff.

To find out more about tariffs click here.

Information for members in Northern Ireland

If you're in Northern Ireland, you may qualify for further support. Click here to find out more.

Latest useful online resources

We've complied a list of online resources from websites such as the BBC, EEF and CBI for you, for more reading on the subject of Brexit.

Click here to find out more.