Over 80% of manufacturers want continued regulatory alignment with the EU after Brexit
An overwhelming majority of UK industrial product manufacturers want continued regulatory alignment with the EU, a new industry survey has revealed.
Responding to a survey by the advisory body EURIS and independent experts at The UK Trade Policy Observatory (UKTPO), 83% of industrial product manufacturers support continued regulatory alignment in order to remain competitive in a global market with respondents overwhelmingly saying they see no benefit in moving away from the EU regulatory system for industrial and manufactured products.
UK companies told the survey that their supply chains have already been disrupted by post-referendum currency changes and that EU27 companies have started to select non-UK suppliers amidst the ongoing uncertainty of post-Brexit arrangements.
Industrial manufacturing representatives are calling for a Withdrawal Agreement to be reached with the European Commission at the earliest opportunity to give clarity to industry; they warn that a no-deal Brexit will cause severe damage and must be avoided.
Mark Sommerfeld, Policy Manager, Renewable Energy Association, said:
“A lack of clarity over how low carbon goods and services will be able to cross borders post-Brexit is adding costs to supply chains, possibly erecting barriers to our primary export market and potentially undermining the UK’s competitive advantage in innovative decentralised energy systems.
“The renewables and clean tech sector is one that provides significant growth potential for the UK post-Brexit, however, this will not materialise if a favourable trading arrangement with our closest trading market is not secured.”
—ENDS—
Notes to Editors
1. The full EURIS report, Securing a competitive UK manufacturing industry post Brexit, is available here: http://www.euristaskforce.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/EURIS-A4-report-final.pdf
2.Full EURIS Taskforce Press Release is avaliable here: http://www.euristaskforce.org/news/four-five-manufacturers-industrial-product-supply-sector-want-continued-regulatory-alignment-eu-brexit/
About EURIS
EURIS represents industrial product suppliers covered by the Single Market. We represent sectors with a turnover of over £148 billion and with 1.1 million employees.
EURIS represents 13 trade associations including BEAMA, GAMBICA, the Engineering and Machinery Alliance, the Renewable Energy Association, the Catering Equipment Suppliers Association, the Federation of Environmental Trade Associations, the Manufacturing Technologies Association, the British Fluid Power Association, the Lighting Industry Association, the British Pump Manufacturers Association, the British Plastics Federation, the British Compressed Air Society and the British Cables Association.
About the UK Trade Policy Observatory:
The UK Trade Policy Observatory (UKTPO), a partnership between the University of Sussex and Chatham House, is an independent expert group that initiates, comments on and analyses trade policy proposals for the UK and trains British policy makers, negotiators and other interested parties through tailored training packages.
Created in June 2016, the UKTPO is committed to engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders to ensure that the UK’s international trading environment is reconstructed in a manner that benefits all in Britain and is fair to Britain, the EU and the world.
The REA is available for interview and to discuss this further. Please contact:
Mark Hofman
External Affairs Manager
+44 (0)20 7981 0862
[email protected]
About the Renewable Energy Association (REA)
The REA is the UK’s largest trade association for renewable energy and clean technologies with around 550 members operating across heat, transport, and power. The REA is a not-for-profit organisation that represents renewable energy and clean technology companies operating in over fourteen sectors, ranging from biogas and renewable fuels to solar and electric vehicles. Membership ranges from major multinationals to sole traders.