Greater clarity needed on new Defra UK border checks #BTOM

Uncertainty remains on how checks will work, with the administrative and financial burdens falling on customers and businesses.

Practical guidelines available here: gov.uk/import-goods-i…

bbc.com/news/articles/…

Busy week in Brussels last week. Even though work on the EU Customs Reform is currently on hold, technical discussions continue in the background.
A good opportunity to attend British Chamber of Commerce | EU & Belgium Trade Policy Cmt in person for an update and discussion with members.
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Our Chemicals Working Group met yesterday for a session on Strengthening the role of substitution planning within the REACH framework with Mr Otto Lihner of DG GROW, discussing:

💰Investment planning
🔬Innovation
📢Cooperation between users and providers of alternatives

The team at British Chamber of Commerce | EU & Belgium continue to fly the flag for businesses with a UK footprint in Europe, so it was great to discuss more ways to work together to support 🇬🇧 and 🇪🇺 industry, employees and citizens.

The EU 🇪🇺 is a vital export market for the UK 🇬🇧, which is why a positive trading relationship is so important for British businesses.

Great discussion today with British Chamber of Commerce | EU & Belgium about facilitating and growing our UK-EU & UK-BE trade - one of my top priorities as Trade Minister.

It was a pleasure to meet British Chamber of Commerce | EU & Belgium with Gareth Thomas MP.

They do great work championing British businesses in Belgium & across Europe-their members are vital to boosting jobs, growth & economic opportunities for the UK. Great to hear their priorities for the year ahead.

Wrapping off the day with Stephen Hammond MP MP of the Financial Services Committee.

It has been an honour to meet and discuss EU-UK trade relations, mobility, investment, opportunities and hindrances with so many distinguished policymakers.

We were honoured to meet the European Affairs Committee, chaired by Lord Pete Ricketts. We discussed:

- Restoring EU-UK trust
- Venues for formal and informal cooperation
- Developing a mechanism to manage regulatory divergence
- Functioning of TCA governance structures

6. The EU and UK share strong ambitions to develop clean energy infrastructure without which net-zero goals are infeasible.

Meeting with Alyn Smith MP 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇪🇺 and Douglas Chapman MP 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿, we emphasised the need for energy linkages and joint ventures in the North Sea.

5. BritCham met with Labour Shadow Cabinet Ministers Nick Thomas-Symonds MP MP and Gareth Thomas MP.

Discussions included how the upcoming elections could encourage new trade dynamics to facilitate the movement of goods, people and services across markets.

4. Sir Oliver Heald MP chairs the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly, , one of the governance structures of the TCA, with European Parliament and UK Parliament.

Together we explored:

- Better energy cooperation
- Mobility
- Upcoming TCA review in 2025
- Security and defence

3. At the EU Delegation UK, BritCham met Deputy Ambassador Nicole Mannion and her esteemed colleagues.

EU-UK deals on Horizon Europe🇪🇺 and Frontex are positive steps.

We asked the EU Delegation what might be possible after elections, especially with the upcoming 2025 TCA review.

2. Our first meeting of the day is with the Rt Hon Greg Hands MP, Minister of State for Trade Policy.

Removing obstacles to trade can be mutually beneficial for businesses and consumers on both sides of the Channel. This was the main message expressed during our discussion.