The British Chambers of Commerce, CBI, TUC, FSB and EEF have made a joint plea to guarantee the rights of EU and UK citizens before Christmas.
Four million EU and UK citizens face a second Christmas of uncertainty about their right to remain in the countries they now call home. Despite signs that negotiators have made progress on this issue, they are being treated as bargaining chips and are left unsure of their position, especially if there is no deal between the UK and the EU.
Trade unions and businesses are deeply concerned that our friends, colleagues and workers continue to be in limbo. They deserve better treatment, given their vital contribution to our communities, businesses and public services.
The right to remain of the four million must be resolved. There must be certainty whatever the outcome of the Brexit negotiations. The UK government and EU27 should unilaterally guarantee their status and future rights before Christmas. Neither side need wait for the other to do this. If many who go home for holidays simply do not come back, this would have a damaging impact on critical public services and growth.
Adam Marshall, Director General – British Chambers of Commerce
Carolyn Fairbairn, Director General – CBI
Frances O’Grady, General Secretary – TUC
Mike Cherry, National Chairman – Federation of Small Businesses
The Rt. Hon John Hayes MP, the Minister of state for Skills, Further Education & Lifelong Learning, delivered an inspirational speech at the Norfolk Chamber’s High Five Lunch held on Friday 18 May.
The Minister provided an insightful review of his hard work and successes since coming into office in 2010. He has rejuvenated the apprenticeship system and put employers back in the driving seat. There are now almost 500,000 apprenticeship starts a year and the number of apprenticeships have increased across all sectors, in all age categories and in every region in Britain since 2010. The Minister advised that the key was to make the system more demand based, and to highlight how the Apprenticeship system could provide businesses with what they need.
Speaking to an audience of West Norfolk businesses at the High Five Lunch, held in King’s Lynn Town Hall, the Minister highlighted the importance of apprenticeships to Norfolk;
“Apprenticeships should be the vehicle of choice to up-skill the existing workforce in Norfolk and 88% of businesses that take on an apprentice said that they added value to their business. I see working with the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce as a way to increase the profile and the take up of apprenticeships, so that we can create the skilled workforce needed to ensure that the Norfolk economy grows and prospers”.
The Minister was introduced to the delegates attending the lunch by Henry Bellingham MP, who highlighted that “The local economy is remarkably resilient, but the whole skills agenda is absolutely pivotal to its future. That is why today’s event is so important. It will allow the Minister to see what we are doing in West Norfolk, together with the Norfolk Chamber, to ensure that we have the right skills in place for when the economy picks up”.
The High Five Lunch is a successful series of business networking events based in West Norfolk. The event was sponsored by Lloyds TSB Commercial and the National Apprenticeship Service. The next event in the series will take place on Thursday 5 July.
This December, the Chamber have delivered Christmas breakfasts across Norfolk, offering members a chance to attend a festive networking event at a venue nearest to them. We hosted the business breakfasts with a festive spin at venues in Great Yarmouth and Norwich, with the West Norfolk breakfast taking place Wednesday 13th.
First up we had the Great Yarmouth breakfast which took place at the Town Hall where 40 members came to meet new businesses. The morning was hosted by East Coast Hospice, who guided guests through a morning of breakfast and festive networking activities, including a ‘guess the intro’ Christmas music game.
Next up, was the Norwich edition. Over 140 guests came to The Holiday Inn for a morning hosted by The Big C who encouraged the room full of chamber members, dressed up in their finest festive attire, to take part in activities such as Christmas Pictionary!
To round up the Christmas breakfasts, members from West Norfolk will come to network at Knight’s Hill Hotel in King’s Lynn. The morning will be hosted by East Anglia Children’s Hospice, who will be bringing some festive fun to the room and informing delegates about the work they are doing for young people with life-threatening conditions.
Across the breakfasts so far, guests were extremely generous and brought along gift donations for each of the charities involved with the breakfasts in order to support their causes. This is sure to continue at the last instalment in West Norfolk.
If you are interested in attending the last breakfast in the series in Kings Lynn, email [email protected] or visit our website – https://norfolkchamber.co.uk/events.
The International Trade Department will be operating slightly differently over the festive season. To ensure you get your export documents returned before our closure, see our opening hours below.
Monday 18 December – Last day for Carnets, otherwise normal service Tuesday 19 December – Normal service Wednesday 20 December – Normal service Thursday 21 December – Normal service Friday 22 December – Standard e-zCerts until 11:30am. Xpress e-zCerts until 12 noon.
We will be closed from Monday 25 December 2017 to Monday 1 January 2018, reopening on Tuesday 2 January where our normal service will resume.
Our documentation prices are changing from 1st January 2018. See our 2018 price list here.
The UK has had a relatively easy time in the EU, with English being the organisation’s lingua franca, but what will happen after Brexit when its traders will be expected to go out into the wider world?
The British Council has identified the languages that it claims British citizens should learn if the country is to prosper in a post-Brexit world.
It seems that it will not be leaving Europe totally behind as the top five languages listed by the Council in its report Languages for the Future are Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, French, Arabic and German.
Available at www.britishcouncil.org, this explains that the languages were selected on the basis of extensive analysis of economic, geopolitical, cultural and educational factors, including the needs of UK businesses, the UK’s overseas trade targets, diplomatic and security priorities, and prevalence on the internet.
The top five languages listed were found to be significantly ahead of the next five, which were Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Japanese and Russian.
For the UK to succeed after Brexit, international awareness and skills – such as the ability to connect with people who do not necessarily speak English – will be more vital than ever, the report argues.
However, the UK is currently facing a languages deficit, with a worryingly low proportion of those aged 18-34 able to hold a basic conversation in the top five languages: French (14%); German (8%); Spanish (7%); Mandarin (2%) and Arabic (2%).
That lack of language skills is estimated to be holding back the country’s international trade performance at a cost of almost £50 billion a year, the report claims.
It is therefore necessary, the British Council concludes, to initiate a bold new cross-government, cross-party initiative aimed at sustaining improvement in language capacity over the medium to long term.
If you have any documents which may require translation, check out or translation service. All of our translators are fully qualified linguists and specialise in particular sectors. For more information please contact us on [email protected] or call 01603 729712.
The Eastern Daily Press want to hear from Norfolk businesses about how they fared in 2017 and what their predictions for the coming year.
2017 has been a year of political and economic uncertainty, yet Norfolk businesses are known for their resilience, which sectors have flourished and which are facing tough times?
The latest edition of a newsletter on Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs), concluded between the European Union and non-EU countries, has been published.
It provides information on the current status of MRAs with the USA, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand, as well as on the Agreement on chemical Good Laboratory Practice with Israel.
This has been compiled from a trade perspective and also includes an overview of the Agreements on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (ACAAs) currently agreed and under consideration with countries in the European neighbourhood.
The latter covers 16 partners to the east and south of the EU’s borders, namely Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, the occupied Palestinian territory, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine.
Traditional MRAs enable Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) nominated by one Party to certify products for access to the other Party’s market, according to the other Party’s technical legislation.
They provide for the mutual recognition between trading partners of mandatory test results and certificates for certain industrial products.
No regulatory convergence is implied by a traditional MRA. In other words, there is no implication that the regulations imposed on products by the Parties are to be brought into alignment at any stage.
As far as the EU is concerned, no further traditional MRAs are foreseen, but there is a certain amount of evolution in their operation, for example, as amendments to their scope are considered and as mandatory certification gives way to reliance on suppliers’ declarations of conformity.
Accordingly, it is intended that this newsletter will be issued from time to time to reflect the evolution of the current position.
Norfolk Chamber is pleased to announce that Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce will be hosting the MPs Event on 2nd February 2018.
Adam’s principal role as Director General is to represent and champion the interests of accredited Chambers of Commerce and their tens of thousands of business members.
Having previously served as Executive Director for Policy and External Affairs and assuming the most senior role at the BCC in October 2016, Adam Marshall has the extensive experience and expertise required to chair the afternoon’s discussions between leading Norfolk Businesses and local politicians.
At this high profile policy event, Adam will be putting questions from Norfolk Chamber members to local MPs to hear their insights for attracting inward investment in Norfolk and shaping the region’s economic future.
To find out more or to join the influential delegate list visit the event webpage here.
As we come to the end of another tumultuous year of Brexit negotiations, Norfolk Chamber’s International Trade Manager, Julie Austin outlines the Brexit story so far…
End of ‘Phase 1’ of the negotiations
The week commencing 4 December was full of political ups and downs, with everyone waiting with baited breath for the outcome of the last-minute negotiations that would conclude ‘phase 1’ of the Article 50 talks between the UK and the EU. Although it had seemed that the ‘divorce bill’ and citizens’ rights would be the most contentious issues, the question of the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland became the discussion that risked derailing the talks.
Ultimately, a form of words was chosen that suited all parties: The Republic of Ireland Government, the DUP, the Commission and Eurosceptic Conservatives. The practicalities of the border question are still unresolved, but what that week’s debate did highlight is just how contentious – and critical – the question of regulatory alignment with the EU will be in 2018.
On the other issues, the UK has, as expected, agreed to a more significant financial contribution; on citizens’ rights, there was a much-needed confirmation that the rights of UK citizens residing in the EU before 29 March 2019, and EU citizens residing in the UK before that date, will be protected.
What happens next?
It is important that the joint statement indicated the need for a start to talks on the transitional arrangement. The British Chambers of Commerce, together with the Chamber network will continue pressing for the transition to be confirmed as soon as possible: a positive signal, a stronger commitment, early in 2018, is necessary for business certainty.
Our expectation is that this will form the bulk of the discussions in the first quarter of next year, prior to the next EU Council Summit on 22-23 March 2018. Then, slowly but (hopefully) steadily, talks on the future trade relationship will begin. However, we should not get too excited yet: these are not yet the trade talks – but are rather the talks about the talks (agreeing on a framework relationship, with details to be ironed out later).
And the Cabinet will finally need to debate and take a collective stance on the kind of regulatory relationship it would like to see with the EU going forward – with the backdrop of various sector groups (such as for pharmaceuticals and aviation), calling for close regulatory alignment and full participation in various agencies.
What the Chamber network is focusing on now
In 2018, the BCC and Chamber network’s approach will remain pragmatic, practical and apolitical. In addition to pressing for a transitional arrangement deal as soon as possible (the BCC has already joined forces with national Chambers of Commerce from Ireland, Germany, France, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium to do just that), we will be exploring potential options for regulatory alignment/divergence with the EU, stressing the importance of maintaining existing market access benefits via the existing EU Free Trade Agreements (which is not as done a deal as it may seem), as well as staying closely engaged in consultation on the UK’s future immigration system.
For any questions about Brexit and the potential impact on your business, our International Trade Team is here to help. Please contact Julie Austin on Tel: 01603 729 706 or email: [email protected]
A future UK-EU trade deal must minimise barriers to trade says the British Chambers of Commerce, as it released the results of its survey (27 December), in partnership with DHL, which finds UK businesses regard Europe as their primary trading partner for the coming years.
The results, based on the responses of over 1,300 businesses, found that over the next three years, the top two markets, which most businesses plan to start or continue exporting to, are Western Europe (44%), and Central and Eastern Europe (32%). Western Europe (36%) is also the market which most firms plan to import from.
According to the findings, UK businesses foresee the most significant barriers to trading with foreign markets as tariffs (46%), customs procedures (39%) and local regulations (20%). The results also show exporters’ strategies over the next three years will primarily be influenced by increased demand from overseas buyers (48%), exchange rates (36%) and the UK’s future withdrawal from the EU (35%).
Businesses looking to import say they will primarily be influenced by the lack of suppliers in the UK (43%), followed by exchange rates (41%), and it being cheaper to import than source in the UK or produce within their business (33%).
The results of the survey underline the importance of the UK and EU reaching a business-friendly trade agreement that minimises costs and trade barriers. Europe will not only remain an important market for UK businesses to sell to, but with minimal evidence that UK businesses can substitute domestic inputs for imports in the short term, access to the European market will be crucial for firms to source components.
Julie Austin, International Trade Manager at the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said:
“Europe is the UK’s largest trading partner, so it will come as no surprise that businesses regard access to European markets and products as fundamental to their medium-term trading strategies. Now that negotiations on the future UK-EU relationship are set to begin, businesses need clarity on the practicalities of the future trading relationship between the UK and EU without delay.
“High tariffs, cumbersome customs procedures, as well as conflicting regulatory requirements can deter firms from trading overseas – so a future agreement between the UK and the EU must minimise barriers and costs, to allow firms on both sides of the Channel to continue trading as freely as possible.”
Also commenting on the results, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, (BCC) said:
“The devaluation in sterling seen over the past 18 months has been a double-edged sword, providing a welcome boost for some exporters, but a drag on many other firms, who report higher costs for their inputs and components. While UK firms would like to be able to source inputs on the domestic market, our evidence suggests that swapping imports for domestic supplies isn’t presently an option for many.
“If businesses can’t find or afford to source their supplies domestically, easy and quick access to foreign markets is crucial. Both the UK government and EU Commission must work together in 2018 to move towards a frictionless trade deal that works for both British and European businesses.”