The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has welcomed yesterday's news that the European Union (EU) has approved the extension of two contingency measures by another seven months to maintain road haulage and air connectivity in the event of a No Deal Brexit.
Under the agreement, the road haulage contingency measure, which was due to expire on 31 December 2019, will be valid until the end of July 2020, while the aviation access contingency will be extended from March 2020 to 24 October 2020.
Sarah Laouadi, FTA’s European Policy Manager, said the agreements will bring some measure of certainty to the association’s members that move goods and services to and from the European Union:
“The extension of the No Deal contingency access is welcome news for logistics companies currently preparing for Brexit, and is something that FTA has been lobbying for on behalf of its members. Both agreements will allow some degree of continuity, but it is clear that permanent solutions should be reached to enable businesses to plan efficiently for long-term business stability and avoid yet another cliff edge.”
“While today’s announcements will provide some breathing space to logistics companies that have been concerned about a potential No Deal departure from the EU, they come with restrictions that will increase the cost of transport, create unnecessary red tape and could simply fail those specialised haulage companies that serve a particularly dense network of customers and multiple sites in Europe.
"While the aviation agreement will bring short term relief for businesses which rely on airfreight to keep their supply chains quick and efficient, a permanent arrangement should be prioritised to keep goods flying to and from the UK."
