In this week’s EU exit corner, we bring you the latest guidance updates, news and publications relevant to EU exit. See also 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. We also update you on developments in relation to the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill and bring you news of a new consultation on the Single Trade Window.
Northern Ireland Protocol Bill update
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 circa 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.
Last week, the House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee questioned experts on international law experts on the legality of the Bill. The Hansard Society has also published a briefing on the delegated powers in the Bill
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:-