Services to Businesses

It is of a vital importance that your organisation adopts sound Customs Compliance practices whether this is to comply with the law or streamline processes to gain in productivity.

When it comes to the transfer of goods, technology and services to foreign parties, the regulations are very complex (more specifically those of the United States). Many agencies administer and enforce export and sanctions rules against a shifting landscape of export control reform, which affects companies worldwide.

The cost of non-compliance or violations is high. In addition to steep fines and penalties, it can include debarment, denial of export privileges — a severe blow for export-heavy business models — and reputational damage. It can also expose organisations and individuals to serious civil and criminal penalties.

Our team includes dedicated specialists with extensive export controls and trade sanctions knowledge. We understand the US government’s expectations, reform trends and compliance regulations — and we work together with you to understand the implications for your organisation.

In view of the Challenges of Global Trade, the Customs Compliance is becoming more digitised and automated. This way, your business can remain competitive while consistently improving the supply chain processes, downsizing the cycle times, lowering costs and being capable to satisfy the increasing customer demands.

The Trade Agreement between the EU and the UK, which was finalised in December 2020, provides much-needed certainty and clarity regarding the legal framework for trading with the UK. The agreement has been provisionally applied since January 1, 2021. While tariffs and quotas on goods trade are generally avoided, new Customs and immigration rules and procedures are in force, and several “grey areas” in regulation and data treatment remain to be clarified.

Manufacturers and transport providers are moving ahead to implement the new rules. Inevitably, much of this is “learning by doing”, and the first weeks of business since 1 January have begun to show some of the realities and obstacles that Brexit has brought. Companies have discovered that the Agreement has created several (expected and unexpected) operational changes that make trade more difficult than before. EU businesses have to adapt to a changing environment through 2021 as the UK has announced a series of measures to stage the implementation on the customs requirements for products arriving from the EU, as well as phase-in periods for the UK’s new regulatory regime around product safety and chemicals. The EU has also announced that additional flexibilities for the documentary evidence necessary to qualify for rules of origin will be granted in the first year of the application of the UK-EU TCA. However exact details on this have yet to be confirmed.