No Deal Notices show that negotiating in good faith must continue

25 Sep 2018 01:48 PM

techUK's CEO, Julian David, comments on need for continued negotiations to avoid the burdens businesses will face without a deal.

Commenting on the release of the third group of No Deal Technical Notices, techUK CEO Julian David said:

“Publishing these additional No Deal notices is a sensible and responsible precaution for Government to take to provide some clarity for businesses about the obligations they would face in a No Deal situation. However, once again the notices demonstrate that a No Deal Brexit would be deeply damaging for our economy. 

“Clarification that the Government will continue to protect and enforce existing intellectual property rights in the UK will be welcomed by UK tech businesses. However, these notices demonstrate the additional costs and burdens businesses will face when seeking access to both the UK and EU markets, duplicating systems and regulators across a number of areas. For example, the requirement to register chemicals both in the UK and in Europe will lead to significant duplication. That is why Government is right to continue to champion a Common Rulebook approach to seek to limit duplication of processes for businesses trading in the UK and the EU. UK tech manufacturers, including SMEs, rely on a steady supply of safe and high quality chemicals to make the products we use every day, so avoiding additional complexity should be a priority. 

“The best way to avoid the consequences of a No Deal, as set out in these notices, is by renewing efforts to seek agreement on the outstanding issues within the negotiations. techUK urges both the UK and EU to continue negotiating in good faith to avoid the 29 March 2019 cliff-edge which is concerning businesses and consumers across the UK and EU27.”

techUK has also previously commented on the first and second set of no deal notices. 

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