EU-UK negotiations: a deal is needed now

Today, during a meeting of BusinessEurope’s Council of Presidents, its member federations expressed great concern about the EU-UK negotiations.

BusinessEurope President Pierre Gattaz said: "The end of the transition period is around the corner and we don’t know how the EU and the UK relationship will look like.  Companies are preparing as much as they can, struggling with uncertainty and lack of visibility on how they will trade as of 1 January 2021.

If there is no deal, businesses will be confronted with tariffs in some cases as high as 40%, the need to comply with different regulations, double testing, different origin requirements. Trade between the EU and the UK will become more difficult and much more expensive."

He added: "Our economies are already facing the very negative consequences of COVID-19. We cannot afford another major disruption caused by a no-deal situation.  It is time to act responsibly, for our companies and our citizens. It is time to conclude an agreement".