In this week’s EU Exit Bulletin, we update you on developments in relation to the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill and bring you news of a planned consultation on the Single Trade Window. See also the latest guidance updates, news and publications relevant to EU exit and read HMRC’s recent email about moving to the Customs Declarations Service (“CDS”) by the end of September when all import declarations move from CHIEF to the CDS.
Northern Ireland Protocol Bill update
It is not yet clear if the announcement of the UK’s Prime minister, Boris Johnson’s resignation will impact the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill. However, we will keep members updated on this over the coming weeks.
In other news, the second reading of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill took place last week on Monday 27 June which was the first opportunity MPs had to debate the draft legislation. The reading and debate took almost six hours and was followed by a vote at 10pm by which the Bill was passed by 295 votes to 221.
The House of Commons Library has also published a briefing on the Bill, which examines what it does, questions over whether it breaks international law, why the Government is introducing the Bill, and the reaction to it including from the EU and political parties in Northern Ireland. A briefing has also been published on the EU’s legal action against the UK, following the Government’s publication of the Bill.
The House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee recently questioned experts on international law on the legality of the Bill. The Hansard Society has also published a briefing on the delegated powers in the Bill.
Earlier this week Chartered Accountants Ireland was in attendance at a special meeting of HMRC’s Joint Customs Consultative Committee which was also attended by HM Treasury and various other interested parties including businesses organisations in Northern Ireland.
The meeting set out a period of engagement which will take place in July and August to discuss the Government’s policy proposals in respect of what is referred to as “the trade boundaries” model and more specifically the green and red channels and how these will practically operate in the context of the Protocol Bill.
During the meeting, the Government stressed that it recognises the policy proposals will impact on already established business models and supply chains however the focus will be to “achieve a better balance for east to west goods movements”. It was also stated that there is no intention of introducing any processes for north to south goods movements and vice versa.
Single Trade Window Public Consultation Update
Following the ‘UK Single Trade Window – Policy discussion paper’ published by the Government in December 2021, which posed a number of key policy and design choices for the UK Single Trade Window (“STW”), the Government is planning to issue a further consultation on the operation of the STW which will be launched over the Summer.
This consultation will cover key legislative changes the Government sees necessary to deliver the STW, a key component of the UK Border 2025 strategy. The STW consultation is aimed at stakeholders involved in the importing and exporting of goods, including those who provide services to businesses who import and/or export goods, such as intermediaries, logistics firms, and Community System Providers.
STWs aim to simplify traders’ interactions with the border. The World Customs Organisation (“WCO”) defines such Single Windows as “a facility that allows parties involved in trade and transport to lodge standardised information and documents with a single entry point to fulfil all import, export, and transit related regulatory requirements”.
A STW, at its core, ensures a single entry point for border data, which results in reduced duplication for users. The WCO sets out a number of key principles and features regarding data in a STW:-
- A STW allows the trader or intermediary to submit all border data needed in a standardised format. This would mean submitting only once to border authorities through a single portal; and
- A STW puts the onus on government to facilitate data sharing amongst border authorities and agencies to then receive the information they need.
This therefore eliminates the need for the user to submit the same data to different border authorities or agencies, via multiple different portals.
Miscellaneous updated guidance etc.
The latest guidance updates, news and publications relevant to EU exit are as follows:-