The effects of BREXIT on Trade between EU and UK: What changes for Europe’s SMEs?

09.00-12.30 CEST | 28th of May 2021

Please register and connect with other participants directly here: https://sme2b.european-entrepreneurs.org/agenda?session=89103

After an exhausting negotiation between the EU and the UK in 2020, a so-called “EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement” has been signed on December 24^th 2020. The European Parliament has ratified this Agreement on April 28^th 2021 with large majority. But is everything ok now? Not at all. European and British SMEs are still struggling to understand the new import-export rules and custom procedures; the custom services themselves sometimes seem to be not sure about how to best advise companies, trade relations and transports suffer. Can this be improved? How can things go smoother? What are the corrections we need?

The European umbrella organisation European Entrepreneurs CEA-PME of Small and Medium-sized Enterprise associations, in cooperation with its members AFDEE in France, BVMW in Germany and its British colleagues at ESBA offers now to sort out some questions, also with the help of a High-Level EU representative, Mr. Fernando Perreau de Pinninck, Head of Unit Taxud E4 – Trade facilitation, rules of origin and international coordination: Europe, neighbouring countries & international organisations at the European Commission.

At the end of the meeting the participants can join direct exchanges in video B2B-meetings with other entrepreneurs that trade in Europe and the UK, or those that can help to solve problems and doubts.

Please register and connect with other participants directly here: https://sme2b.european-entrepreneurs.org

Where: Zoom web meeting – Link will be sent to all registered participants by May 27^th 2021 cob.

h. 09:00 Welcoming by Mr. Stefan Moritz, Managing Director of European Entrepreneurs CEA-PME

h. 09:05 Opening address by Mrs. Karima Delli (France-Europe Écologie/GreensEFA), Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Transport and Tourism (tbc)

h. 09:15 “Make EU-UK Trade as smooth as possible after the Trade and Cooperation Agreement: how the European Commission supports business and custom services to sort out as many problems as possible” – Mr. Fernando Perreau de Pinninck, Head of Unit Taxud E4 – Trade facilitation, rules of origin and international coordination: Europe, neighbouring countries & international organisations at the European Commission

h. 09:30 Comments and first questions by

– Mrs. Séverine Varet, Vice-President of AFDEE (F) and Manager of AtoutExport

– Mrs. Anke Brucklacher, Manager Zollfuchs GmbH and member of BVMW e.V. (D)

– Export Manager of Qualplast Ltd. (UK), a member company of ESBA (tbc)

h. 09:50 Q&A with the participants with the participation of all speakers (except Mrs. Delli)

h. 10:15  Closing remarks by Mr. David Caro, President of ESBA

h. 10:20  End of the session and invitation to the “SME2B coffee lounge” on the SME2B platform:

h. 10:30 “SME2B coffee lounge”:   You can do 1:1 meetings with other participants during the whole lounge (10:30 to 12:30)

h. 12:30 End of the event