BTAG reviews treaty implementation and impact on traders

The Business Transition Advisory Group reviewed progress under the UK-EU treaty on Gibraltar on Monday, as HM Customs outlined further steps to help businesses adapt to the new arrangements for moving goods.

A customs task force supported by IT technicians will provide training and outreach for officers, clearing agents and traders. HM Customs will also prepare further guidance for suppliers delivering goods to Gibraltar through Spain.

The meeting, held almost four months after the treaty began to apply provisionally on July 15, brought together business representatives, senior customs officers and other government officials.

The Minister for Health, Care and Business, Gemma Arias-Vasquez, and the Attorney General, Michael Llamas, co-chaired the meeting.

Members discussed trading conditions and the movement of goods, including customs procedures on both sides of the frontier, cost and cash flow pressures on businesses and the support available to them.

The Gibraltar Government said work was continuing on ways to reduce duplication for businesses, including by transferring customs data between systems.

It will meet customs clearing agents again in the coming days and consider the points raised by the group.

“Almost four months on from provisional application, it was important to hear, once again, directly from businesses on how the new arrangements are working in practice,” Mrs Arias-Vasquez said.

“I am grateful to the Attorney General for co-chairing the meeting and to members for their openness.”

“Real progress has been made since July.”

“Goods are moving, procedures are improving and HM Customs and traders are working closely together to resolve the issues that remain.”

“HM Customs is strengthening its support for traders and we will continue to work with the business community on practical solutions, so that these arrangements work well for businesses across Gibraltar.”

“Separately, we have heard the messages from traders on support schemes and we are collecting data from the first three months of collections of transaction tax to see how we can assist businesses.”