Set out below is a selection of the key updates, announcements, developments, and guidance issued in recent weeks to help businesses and individuals prepare for the post EU transition period. Note that some of the guidance still refers to a no-deal Brexit scenario. See our Brexit developments also.

HMRC’s most recent EU transition update is also available. A £650 million investment for Northern Ireland was also announced recently.

The next phase of the customs grant scheme is also now open for applications. According to the associated press release, it sees a record £50 million investment as part of the measures to accelerate growth of the customs intermediary sector and help meet the increased demand it will see from traders at the end of the transition period.

Customs intermediaries – including customs brokers, freight forwarders and express parcel operators – as well as traders who complete their own declarations, are among those who can now apply for grant funding to support with recruitment, training, and IT to handle customs declarations.

To date, HMRC has made a total investment of £34 million available to support the sector, which has supported more than 20,000 training courses, nearly 15,000 units of IT and the recruitment of almost 600 new customs agents.

The grant can cover salary costs for new or redeployed staff, up to a limit of £12,000 per person and £3,000 for recruitment costs for new employees. This will help them to recruit new staff and train them up ahead of July 2021, when all traders moving goods will have to make declarations.

The grant scheme will continue to offer financial support for training costs to upskill staff and for IT that will allow greater efficiency. The grant for IT will cover expenses for increasing capacity or productivity for customs declarations, customs software, set-up costs, and related hardware.

Grants will be issued on a first come, first served basis. Applications will close on 3‌0 J‌un‌e 2021, or earlier if all funding is allocated. The grant scheme is administered by PricewaterhouseCoopers on behalf of HMRC. For more information on the scheme and how to apply, please read the guidance on GOV.UK.

• The Northern Ireland Office has updated its guidance on the Northern Ireland Protocol which is aimed at providing further clarity to businesses importing goods into and from Northern Ireland;
• The EU Commission proposes to amend VAT rules to accommodate trade with Northern Ireland after the transition period;
• UK-EEA EFTA states future relationship negotiations process;
• UK Transition communications resources;
• Apply for grants if your business completes customs declarations;
• List of customs agents and fast parcel operators from 1 January 2021;
• Financial services legislation under the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018;
• Letter to medicines and medical products suppliers: 3 August 2020;
• How healthcare providers can prepare for 1 January 2021;
• Government contacts to help medical supply businesses after 31 December 2020;
• Getting EU funding;
• Existing UK trade agreements with non-EU countries;
• Moving goods under the Northern Ireland Protocol;
• Moving goods into, out of, or through Northern Ireland from 1 January 2021;
• Register an interest in the Trader Support Service; and
• Trading gas with the EU from 1 January 2021.