S P E C I A L F E ATURE BREXIT STILL A LONG WAY TO GO Now that the UK has left the EU, movers who travel between the areas have a lengthy process of adaptation ahead of them. Dominic Weaver spoke to some of those involved B rexit is done, but it is far from finished. Four-and-a-half years on from 52 per cent of the British public voting in its favour, and after a final, year-long transition period, the UK left the EU on 31 December 2020. But thanks to a hastily concluded deal on Christmas Eve, those moving goods or people between the two newly separated areas had just one week to prepare before 1 January 2021. So the actual transition is happening now in real time. Ian Studd, Director General of the British Association of Removers (BAR), says: Because of a combination of the pandemic with the 11th-hour nature of the deal that was finally struck, businesses were generally far from being ready for these new ways of working and neither had the required infrastructure been completed to meet the new requirements in place from 1 January. Lorries queued on the M20 motorway in Kent last year, part of the UKs preparation for unexpected delays at the Channel Tunnel or Port of Dover As a result, international companies, including movers, have faced a steep on-the-job learning curve, working to keep their businesses moving while they get to grips with an endless list of new rules. With movements between the UK and EU now subject to customs clearance on entry to their destination, some of the key changes that movers have had to understand and put in place include transit documents, pre- BREXIT ADVICE TOP TIPS SARAH LAOUADI ROB GILBERT IAN STUDD TONY TICKNER PHILIPPA ROBINSON Define your channels of communication with your partners in advance, so that youre ready to activate those channels if something goes wrong. Sarah Laouadi, European Policy Manager, Logistics UK Consult your FIDI or customs agent and plan. If the administration is not done properly it will cause a transit delay, which is going to cost you. Rob Gilbert, President of FIDI Ireland and owner of Oman Beverly Smyth Educate your own staff and the consumer. Also, when planning routings in Europe, many of the sites are not open, so please consider staff welfare very carefully. Ian Studd, Director General, British Association of Removers (BAR) Set your customers expectations for the administration, the processes and the transit. Check the process, double check it, triple check it, and you should be able to get through smoothly. Tony Tickner, Managing Director, The Euro Group International Limited Be prepared, do your homework, communicate, and manage expectations. Do not chance your luck with a company that does not have a wellestablished clearing agent in the UK these agents are like gold dust and are not taking on any new business. Philippa Robinson, Director at Robinsons Relocation 32 FF301 Q2 21 pp32-35 Feature Brexit.indd 32 WW W. F I D I FOC U S . OR G 09/03/2021 09:49