On 11 October 2019 the NBCC Brexit Forum “Get Ready for Brexit” took place at the headquarters of PwC Nederland in Amsterdam. The purpose of this event was to provide practical and technical advice by UK government officials for, among others, SMEs.
Following the opening remarks of NBCC Chair, Anton Valk, and the introduction of Deputy British Ambassador, Tim DeCamp, the scene was set by James Smith (ING) with a statistical presentation. Specifically, the poor investments since the Brexit vote were presented by him in details. Additionally, James Smith reflected on whether UK PM Johnson would ask for another Article 50 extension/how long it might last, and whether there would be a general election and if so when.
UK officials from the Border Delivery Group, Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport gave update and advice on no deal preparedness and preparations.
A group of panelists consisting of Jurriaan Jansen (Norton Rose Fulbright), Robert-Jan de Wit (PwC) and Jos Verstraten (PwC) engaged in a discussion with the UK government officials. Several issues were raised: UK tariff rates, duty free sales, expectations regarding trade deals, customs legislation, social security regulation, and practical problems related to EORI numbers, status of business travelers, future data exchanges from the EEA to the UK, how SMEs should protect data, data adequacy regulation, just to name a few examples.
The presentations and discussions were followed by a networking lunch giving the opportunity for the attendees to personally engage with the speakers and get tailored answers. Apart from the NBCC members, The Department for International Trade (DIT) and the British Embassy to The Hague were equally present to engage with British-Dutch businesses.
Our special gratitude goes to PwC Nederland for making this event possible, also to the UK government officials flying in specifically to reach out to our NBCC members, and to all of our Brexit Forum strategic partners. Given the attendance in great numbers, we can look back upon a very successful and informative occasion.