Marco Forgione, Director General for the Institute of Export & International Trade, responds to the Government’s EU negotiation stance:

“The Institute welcomes the Government’s call for financial equivalence and a liberalised market for tariff-free trade of goods.

“The commitment to pull out of the talks in June puts pressure on negotiators to focus on reaching an agreement. If that’s not possible then business will have some time to prepare for WTO rules.

“Deal or no deal, there will be new bureaucracy for businesses to deal with, including customs declarations and certificates of origin and other regulations.

“Government has made clear that divergence is inevitable, and businesses will need to comply with different regulations for selling into EU and other markets.”

“To prepare for this new reality, businesses must make sure they have the skills and know where to go for help.  The IOE&IT has developed a series of business focussed courses, tailored consultancy and a Technical Helpline to support businesses in mitigating risk, ensuring regulatory compliance so they can trade safely.”

You can also read about what WTO rules would mean for UK businesses and for more information about our training courses, which can be fully funded by government grants, please visit: export.org.uk/training