The international courier ParcelHero has responded to the vote to leave the EU by calling for the Government to negotiate immediately for access to the single market, and not seek to impose tariffs on EU imports into the UK.
Yesterday, the UK voted to leave the EU on a vote of 52% to 48%, but the actually terms and nature of the exit are yet to be negotiated.One option is to adopt a ‘Norwegian-style’ model that allows tarrif free acess in return for a fee and the acceptance of free movement of labour.
The international courier ParcelHero has responded to the vote to leave the EU by calling for the Government to negotiate immediately for access to the single market, and not seek to impose tariffs on EU imports into the UK.
David Jinks, ParcelHero’s Head of Consumer Research, said: ‘Many of ParcelHero’s SME business customers voted for Brexit and we understand entirely why they have done so. However, we are concerned for our customers about the possibility of increased costs in sending parcels to the EU and also receiving items from the Union.’
Explains David: ‘ParcelHero regularly ships to those countries that are in Europe but not in the EU, such as Switzerland, Norway and Iceland. Parcels sent to these countries face customs delays, red tape and tariffs of between 5-9% on average. We hope that the UK will not find itself with similar customs charges and paperwork. It is our hope that negotiations between the UK Government and Brussels will ensure that the EU will not impose new tariffs on British good shipped into the EU; and that similarly the UK Government will not seek to impose tit-for-tat tariffs in return.’
Says David: ‘ParcelHero does not foresee any price rises for its popular EU services while the UK’s future relationship is hammered out; and it will seek to protect its customers from any increased costs in the long term. It’s very much business as usual and we trust that Britain will not face new trade tariffs and border delays following these negotiations; which would be very much against the interest of EU countries and businesses; as well as UK SMEs.’
For more information on sending parcels to the European Union click here