Dr Anna Jerzewska
@AnnaJerzewska
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Founder https://t.co/wIhJEwjphH. Chief Content Officer for CustomsClear. Int Trade adviser for CBAMBOO. Trade facilitation. Did trade before Brexit.
Europe
Joined February 2018
Not on here much anymore. If anyone is still interested in customs I'm over at @annajerzewska.bsky.social.
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There is a notion that the EU is punishing us. That our exports have to jump through more hoops than e.g. Norwegian products. This is what we agreed to. What we wanted. We didn't opt for the Norway model (e.g. alignment). This is not punishment, this was our choice.
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Landed in the EU. Group of Brits push their way into the EU passport queue shouting that they can still take advantage of the benefits. No you can't mate. That's exactly one of the things you can't do!.
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Just a thought - the fact that we're still talking about what it means "to leave the EU" may indicate that we should have talked about it a bit more beforehand.
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Well. that's not entirely true now, is it? . The UK Gov and mainstream media have not prepared companies for the additional red tape. But almost every single trade and logistics expert has talked about it. And was told they're a "Remoaner" spreading Project Fear.
BREIXT update !!! 38 pages of paperwork today to export to France over £500 in EXTRA costs per shipment absolute madness!We where not told of this pre Brexit and now it’s crippling businesses around the country, @BorisJohnson @michaelgove @FergusEwingSNP @Feorlean @scotfoodjames
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"Welcome to the Brexit sir, I'm sorry". The most iconic line from the Dutch Border Force.
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Are we 100% sure we know what to do the day after we invoke Art 16? . Like, is there a plan? . Asking as someone who's been paying attention for the last few years. .
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You want to know what the real bad news is here? . It's not that there are queues for miles just because the French customs authorities are "trialling post-Brexit boarding systems". It's that we aren't. /1 .
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Just spoke to @mrjamesob on @LBC about Brexit readiness and Gove's letter. Asked a simple question: why aren't we ready for something that we knew was coming 4 years ago? . Let me briefly explain. /1.
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If you think your Christmas plans have been ruined by the new covid measures just think about these drivers. No support, no facilities, many of them paid per job/kilometre NOT hour. Stranded in the UK.
Trucks line up on the M20 motorway leading to the Port of Dover, as freight routes to France remain closed in response to a fast-spreading new strain of coronavirus. (video via @Quicktake)
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Well, the penny has finally dropped. Very different mood on today's calls. Serious and sombre. Ppl are finally realising this is not a drill and last night showed how bad things can get.
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Perhaps we don't need a 3-part slogan for everything. Perhaps we could try talking like adults?.
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Would be nice, 4 years in, for an MP to know we don't "receive tariffs from the EU".
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I think UK's entire post-Brexit business model currently relies on this one sentence.
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It’s really touching to see how excited everyone is about the lack of queues and border disruptions on. checks notes. New Year's Day.
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It's October and we still don't have the NI border operating model. When you say things like that out loud and stop to think about what other info we're still missing, it makes you realise just how insane the situation is.
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No, it won’t. Like really, trust me, it won't change the world. /1.
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I'm starting to think that the reason why Liz Truss and DIT believe that negotiations with Australia are progressing at a 'glacially slow' pace is that they never truly understood that actual FTA talks are complex and require time and compromises on both sides. 1/2.
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To the Brexiteers that send me emails just to tell me how little I know about trade - thanks. I just can't get enough of that on Twitter.
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@Mij_Europe This is a joke, right? Is the UK literally going round looking for regional groupings to join? Other ppl's regional groupings. in regions that it's not part of. .
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The discrepancy between Gov's "some teething problems" and "levels of trade are back to normal" and the daily conversations with companies who are just realising how rules of origin impact their competitiveness on the EU market is like something out of Kafka.
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I seem to have woken up in some sort of alternate reality where being a Polish immigrant in the UK is suddenly a good thing.
The guy with the whale tusk is a Polish chef named Luckasz. Worth noting this for the next time someone says, ‘we’ve let too many Eastern Europeans into this country’.
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About to give evidence to another Select Committee. I can't even begin to describe the feeling of despair I feel when I start thinking about answering the question "are we ready for Jan 1" again. 1/2.
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So I have a feeling many companies are in for a rude awakening this month - the first round of supplementary customs declarations for companies importing from the EU. /1.
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I'm a bit confused, I thought that was the point.
Foreign workers are leaving Britain at the fastest pace since WWII. London alone has lost 700,000 people in a year. The implications are profound for tax revenues, landlords and recovery from the worst slump in three centuries.
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Why is it so difficult to understand that this is exactly what being treated like an independent, third-country feels like?.
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If the UK Gov ever invokes Art 16 we'll all be here to watch as they realise it doesn't mean what they think it means and get themselves into a real corner. What do you do once you've used the only argument and move you had?.
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The government's no 1 mistake in terms of Brexit readiness? . Treating the industry as a threat and their concerns as criticism rather than as a partner and ally in the process.
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The issues around the NI Protocol come back to the 80:20 rule:. If you don't do it right and only spend 20% of the time negotiating, you'll spend 80% of time implementing and fixing. Look at the language here. /1 .
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This whole food blockade is pure PR genius. the images and emotions it evokes. while being so completely untrue. .
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I take it we've now accepted the fact that "looking for benefits of Brexit" is a hard, full time job.
NEW: @DavidGHFrost tells @CommonsEU that he's looking for someone from outside govt/civil service to head new unit, working to him, looking for benefits of #Brexit and deregulation. suggestions on a postcard (or Tweet) please. .
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The funny thing is that the person who tweeted it is more likely to lose their job than Cummings.
yeah that civil service tweet is good, but it’s even better when it’s being read out slowly on BBC News
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Yet again I have to ask - how is this so much of a surprise? . The referendum took place 5 years ago, almost to the day. And yet it seems that ppl are only now realising what are the effects of leaving the EU. /1.
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"Scrutinising" a trade deal once it is signed means scrutinising it once it is too late to provide any input, highlight any risks or in fact take any meaningful action.
@TheNewEuropean 1/2 We have always been clear Parliament will be able to scrutinise Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) following signature, rather than at the stage where agreement in principle is reached.
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It's odd but this might just be the most Christmassy thing I've seen this season.
800 Hot meals ready for the truckers stranded in #Kent due to #OperationStack ! . Our thx to the #Kent Sikh community especially Guru Nanak Gurdwara Gravesend. for preparing meals on short notice . #BordersClosed @Port_of_Dover
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I don't post personal stuff much but hey, it's Friday. My 95 yo grandma started walking again this week. She broke her leg back in Oct and spent 8 months in bed. Doctors said she'd never walk again. He strength, determination and optimism just keeps blowing my mind.
Spoke to my grandma for VE Day. She's 95, fought in WWII and survived cancer at 84. Both her and my grandad were in the resistance. My other grandma was deported to a work camp, grandad received a medal of honour of the Warsaw Uprising. Always in awe of that generation!
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Always difficult to read about how Brexit is impacting the fishing industry but equally which part of "it's going to be more difficult and more expensive" was unclear? . /1.
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Passed my driving test. First attempt. Might take an entire evening off. If I remember how to that is.
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Does anyone have any good news? . At this point, literally, anything will do.
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I honestly believed there will be a moment when this Gov will need to face the facts (i.e. what it agreed to in the WA). What I did not anticipate was how far ppl are willing to go to avoid doing that and taking responsibility for their misjudgements.
@EmporersNewC This is infuriating. The Irish Sea border was the condition of getting the WA, BJ's "great success" and "over-ready" deal. To deny it now, to say that the EU wants to "put" the border there when the UK voted on it and accepted it is immature.
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Perhaps if the UK Gov had done a better job explaining the implications of being a 3rd country, ppl wouldn't feel like the UK is being singled out, like every change about to be introduced is a punitive measure - that was the point I suppose, to make them feel that way. 1/2.
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Spoke to my grandma for VE Day. She's 95, fought in WWII and survived cancer at 84. Both her and my grandad were in the resistance. My other grandma was deported to a work camp, grandad received a medal of honour of the Warsaw Uprising. Always in awe of that generation!
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We're not even in Ashford Int. Look at that queue!
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🚛 Here is an interesting fact - it’s end of June and we don’t yet have a functioning border management system. Remember the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS)? The system that was supposed to be first implemented in January to manage our borders? . /1.
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There are half-truths, there is the blame game and then there is this: absolute denial . I don't think anyone is ready to believe this. I don't even think he believes it.
Interesting Brexit narrative now coming from government about potential chaos when transition period ends. Warning that disruptions will be due to `failure of EU to plan' 1/
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Why else would Frost mention that cancer medicine cannot get licensed in NI as a result of the Protocol (emotive and cheap argument) when it's this Gov that agreed and signed the Protocol? . Not even the smallest sign of ownership. As if the Protocol happened to someone else. /8.
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Interesting. A couple of points on that. An important point to make - the EU is applying full procedures to UK goods as of 1 Jan cause that is what it’s obliged to do under international rules. /1 .
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Literally, none of it is true. Other than the fact that we do have a new border with the EU. And the majority of goods do not have to undergo physical customs inspections at the border. But that is also NOT where the source of friction is. (h/T @vivamjm).
Patrick Minford - Under WTO rules the border between the EU & UK should be seamless. the EU has got to be cooperative or it will be illegal. 🤦
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And for those of you keeping score at home:. None of it, literally none of it is new. Every single trade/customs/logistics specialist not paid to come up with good news would have warned the Gov about this even BEFORE the referendum. /1.
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Plenty of "we all knew Brexit was going to be a disaster" tweets in my feed. A reminder that it's not necessarily this simple. Yes, it was always going to be economically damaging but it did not have to be this bad. /1.
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Since this is almost identical to the nonsense one of the MPs said last week, it seems clear that someone is briefing these ppl - smn who's either lying or has no business briefing anyone on trade .
That's not how tariffs work, @IainDale. The EU won't pay the UK tariffs for what it exports to us. Importers will pay. THIS is why we find ourselves in this quagmire. People without the first feckin clue about trade (or ANYTHING much), given an equal platform to real experts.
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Well, hold on. The whole point, the very purpose of the protocol was to "ensure this balance can be preserved in all circumstances". If this Gov did not think the current version of the Protocol achieved that - why was it signed in the first place?.
2/7 On the Protocol, we indeed negotiated a careful balance in order to preserve peace and the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. It is precisely to ensure this balance can be preserved in all circumstances that the Govt needs powers in reserve to avoid it being disrupted.
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This seems obvious but clearly still needs repeating. No country can "promise", give or grant an FTA to another country. That's not how it works. Countries neogitiate an FTA together and reach a deal provided that both sides are happy with the conditions. /1.
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"Figures obtained by the BBC show that exporting goods over the Irish Sea now costs an extra £50 to £350 per pallet. It can also add an extra four hours turnaround time per lorry.".
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And no, getting a deal won't solve any of that - the best we can hope for with a deal is some sort of an implementation period. That's it. Everything else needs to be dealt with regardless. /ends.
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I'm glad @BBCNewsnight is clear about how even with a deal there are significant changes and disruptions coming. Many businesses still believe a deal will significantly reduce the burden they will face on Jan 1 - it will not.
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Weeks go by and the answer is still the same - no, we're not ready. No one is ready!. We knew we're getting some sort of a border back in 2016 - why did we not plan ahead? Why are we only thinking about traffic management in Kent now? . 2/2.
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"We expected", "we assumed". Did you not have any conversations about how it would look in practice? What facilitating trade means and what cheks can be simplified? . Why not? . /2.
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An all-day webinar today with the Belgian, Dutch, French, and Irish customs authorities (as you might have noticed by my earlier tweets). You know these traffic management systems we're trying to build in the last few months of this year? The have them ready. /1.
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Just as a reminder - without a freeze/ implementation period or some sort of derogation - no business on either side will be able to use the UK-EU FTA to avoid paying tariffs on 1 Jan even if we get one tomorrow. It's already too late. /1.
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Dinner with a view. This is such a pretty country 🇨🇭
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In the meantime, can I just say, to all 25k of you who for some reason think I'm worth following on Twitter - thank you! . It's amazing that so many of you want to read about customs, trade and other "unsexy" topics. And despite all the typos.
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Now let's think about what's happening on our side: systems not ready, information not fully there, hauliers frustrated, Gov panicking. No tests, no pilots. /3
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@danielmgmoylan You and I clearly understand gloating differently. To me, that's more desperation. I also don't have weekends (or evenings) because I'm working pretty much every waking hour and we're all in a firefighting mode at the moment trying to manage this s storm. But thanks.
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This really is symbolic. On the day the UK, a champion for global free trade, finally leaves its regional grouping, the African continental FTA comes into effect. We're moving against the current.
On January 1st, 2021 Africa will start to really trade with Africa. It’s a historic moment for our continent as the world’s largest free trade area opens its doors to traders both large and small. Are you ready? #AfCFTA #AfCFTACountdown.
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For clarity, all of the "models" discussed over the last for years: the EEA, Switzerland, Canada, Turkey, Ukraine, Australia - literally all of them have a border with the EU. A border that needs managing. /5.
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The fact that "Auschwitz still stands" has very little to do with Germany and a bit more with a certain independent country behind its eastern border, where Auschwitz is located.
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NI Protocol explicitly prevents the creation of a border on the island of Ireland. As a result, it creates one in the Irish Sea. If you don't agree with that - do tell where is the border between the EU and UK in Ireland - two sovereign territories - there must be one.
There will be no border in the Irish Sea between GB & NI. The NI Protocol explicitly prevents the creation of one. More than half of NI's external trade is with the rest of UK, which is why the UKIM Bill guarantees businesses in NI will have unfettered access to rest of UK market.
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A situation, in my opinion, the private sector should not have been put in in the first place. They should have had all the required info months ago. And shouldn't be asked to "sort themselves out". /9.
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Starting to think there might be no master plan behind all this. .
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FFS we won't "exit on Australian terms" if we don't have a deal. This is not that hard.
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"Restarting trade negotiations with Brussels" will not fix the current problems. And these problems do not result from the deal. And 90% of them were known at the beginning of 2020 or earlier.
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The French system is ready and has been tested before. The French customs hired and trained new customs officials (and vets for SPS checks). They had this ready since last year. They are testing it to be sure it works. And it has that kind of an impact on our side. /2.
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When compared to which country? Singapore? Perhaps. But the US, Japan, Australia? .The EU doesn't have "very high tariff walls" in comparison to other countries./1.
Hearing a lot of reactions like this. It is based on the assumption that the EU is itself a beacon of free trade. Reality is the Customs Union has very high tariff walls and the regulation is rapidly becoming less not more competitive.
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Tomasz Orlinski, a Polish lorry driver from Glasgow - his comments seem to reflect the sentiments of many in the community.
Polish lorry driver from Glasgow on BBC #Radio2: "To think migrants are like tap water which you can open & close when you need it, is just insolence. You even got posters saying 'a dog is for life, not for Xmas', and this is how you treat your drivers.".
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So no, the queues on M20 today really aren't what we should be worried about. /end
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I just got ID'd while buying a bottle of wine and I no longer care about a deal.
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In all honesty, I’d like the Gov’s new shock and awe Brexit business readiness campaign to start in the following way:. “To all businesses, big and small, . /1.
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@AllieRenison It's rather simple, he promised unicorns and he's going to deliver unicorns even if that means drilling a horn to the head of every single horse in the UK.
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For the love of god, you were not under colonial rule! . You were a member of a club you applied to join out of your own free will and left when you wanted to. Comparing this to the Revolutionary War is seriously offensive. Thousands of ppl died in that war.
@StevePeers "She compared the UK’s split from the EU to the American war of independence." .What an interesting comparison to make. .
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9 years ago. took a day off work to submit my PhD. Had no idea how important rules of origin and trade deals would be 9 years later.
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Successful completion of the continuity agreements must have convinced them that this is what negotiating trade deals outside of the EU looks like. Well, it's not. Negotiating a trade deal from scratch is bound to take longer than agreeing to use one that you already have. 2/2.
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Usual reminder- it's not just about tariffs on UK goods entering the EU. Clients are cancelling orders cause they don't know when goods will arrive. Timing is everything. If you cannot guarantee delivery time, it's a good enough reason to buy elsewhere, even if more expensive.
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So in all honesty I thought the reports of empty shelves were somewhat exaggerated. It's not like the stores are empty but it's definitely visible. And not only in the supermarkets. So many products are simply out of stock and have been for weeks. /1.
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The EU's NI Protocol proposal may not be detailed but: . 1) It indicates the willingness to go further than anything we've seen so far i.e. more concessions for the UK. 2) It's still more detailed than anything produced by the UK.
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I know I will be saying this until kingdom come but just as a reminder the deal does NOT offer certainty of no tariffs. That is ONLY the case if products meet rules of origin and are accompanied by an origin certificate (any of the acceptable forms) .
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In 2016, the day after the referendum, we knew we're getting a new border. We didn't know what that border is going to look like - what kind of relationship the UK and EU will have. That was subject to negotiations (and still is). But we knew we're getting a border. /2.
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This was the one element that was not dependent on the outcome of negotiations. This was the one element we could have prepared for. /4.
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It's getting harder and harder to maintain the illusion that this Gov was "caught off guard" by "EU's demands".
Here are two extracts of the UK government’s explainer in October 2019 of the delicate compromise that was reached:
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Don't know who the person was but @mrjamesob, as always, covers stories that need to be covered- exactly what I'm hearing and have been trying to explain to ppl. Of course, if there is other work available in the EU prices for UK movements will increase to cover the risk.
'There were certain people saying they'd rather eat grass than be in Europe. Well, that opportunity may very soon come their way.'. This international freight forwarding company owner warns that Brexit is set to have a devastating impact on his industry. @mrjamesob
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You can't tell businesses this is not happening because they see it first hand. (h/t @bakerstherald).
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@vivamjm @LochfyneLangous @BorisJohnson @michaelgove @FergusEwingSNP @Feorlean @scotfoodjames Just posted something similar - not many, pretty much everyone who works in trade and logistics. As none of it is a surprise, all was predictable and a clear consequence of UK's decisions.
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Spoke to a professional camera operator today while filming something about the amount of paperwork required to bring equipment into the EU (carnets). In the end, they decided to rent equipment in the EU but that's an additional couple £k per day. 1/2.
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It's not "EU's regulatory requirements". It's normal export, import procedures. We have them too. So do other countries. When we export to these other markets where growth comes from (SIC) they will still need to be met. Paperwork will still be needed. /1.
"If you take a 10 year view… the growth opportunities are going to come from emerging and developing economies". #Marr asks Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab about trading difficulties with the EU. #Brexit
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One of the things I love about Spain is that you can be the only guests at a restaurant on a Friday night at 8.40 cause it's too early to eat for the locals 😳.
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Was tempted to ignore this. First of all not sure how I feel about Gov posting "ad features". I come from a country where we had a lot of that under the previous regime (and the current one) and not sure I would recommend it. (h/t @bakerstherald)./1 .
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Was central London always like this? I don't remember things being that bad. Clear supply chain issues
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What the French are doing is not testing the system - they've done that over a years ago. They know it works. They are doing trial runs of the actual border processes and procedures they will need to do from 1 Jan- with all parties involved. /5.
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