The UK government has announced a £355m package to cushion Northern Ireland businesses from the costs of trading with the rest of the UK because of Brexit. #eudebates [ Ссылка ] #eudebates #Barnier #BREXIT #negotiations
Britain seeks to smooth post-Brexit Northern Ireland trade disruption. Britain announced a 200 million pound scheme to help smooth post-Brexit trade disruption for businesses in Northern Ireland when European Union freedom of movement rules cease to apply at the end of the year.
Northern Ireland has Britain’s only land border with the EU, making it a focal point for complex questions about how a new system of cross-border trade will work when more than 45 years of market integration with mainland Europe ends.
Senior minister Michael Gove will set out the new Trader Support Service during a visit to Northern Ireland on Friday, promising a free end-to-end service to deal with import and safety and security declarations on behalf of traders.
“It is a unique service that will ensure that businesses of all sizes can have import processes dealt with on their behalf, at no cost,” Gove said in a statement ahead of the visit.
An additional 155 million pounds will be invested in the technology needed to make it work.
The support scheme is due to start in September and will help traders navigate the paperwork required under the terms of Britain’s exit, which mean Northern Ireland is subject to both British and EU customs regulations.
The complex arrangement threatened to derail exit negotiations last year, with Brussels concerned that goods should not flow unchecked into the bloc via Britain.
Both sides agreed a compromise that avoids the need for a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland - something many feared could have threatened the peace deal that ended decades of sectarian violence in the region.
Gove and Northern Ireland Minister Brandon Lewis will also announce 300 million pounds of funding to programmes promoting peace and reconciliation.
#eudebates [ Ссылка ]
#eudebates #Barnier #BREXIT #negotiations
Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, said on Friday £200m would be spent on a trader support service (TSS) to help firms handle new bureaucracy to move goods across the Irish Sea, turning the government into a de facto customs agent for traders.
A further £155m will be spent on digital technology to streamline processes required by the new internal border created by the Northern Irish protocol, part of the Brexit deal that aligns the region to the UK customs territory and the EU customs code.
It means all businesses sending goods to the region from Great Britain will have to make formal declarations for the first time.
First details of the new trading conditions across the Irish Sea emerged last month, with businesses obliged to complete customs, security and transit forms on all goods being transported to Northern Ireland.
Boris Johnson, the prime minister, was accused of misleading the public about the Brexit deal last November after footage emerged of him telling exporters in Northern Ireland they would not need to fill in extra paperwork. Downing Street continues to insist Northern Ireland will have unfettered access to markets in Great Britain. [ Ссылка ] #eudebates
