Mediaroom

The European Association of Automotive Suppliers, CLEPA, welcomes the Christmas trade agreement between the EU and UK and thanks all parties involved for their commitment to getting a deal agreed. This deal represents the starting point to ensure the continuation of the cooperation for both sides.

Sigrid de Vries, CLEPA Secretary General, commented: “This deal avoids what would have been a worst-case scenario for European suppliers and the many jobs depending on the EU-UK trade relationship. Businesses and customs authorities now need to work around the clock to get ready for the new trading conditions only one week before its implementation. We ask policy makers to engage with us to ensure trade in components is not needlessly being hit by tariffs and to avoid disruption at the border.”

CLEPA will analyse the technical details of the deal as soon as all the material is published to assess the extent into which this deal will serve the interests of the highly integrated EU/UK automotive supply chain, and refrain from commenting on the substance of the deal before then. Already certain is though that the deal will not avoid the resurrection of many trade barriers. We will therefore continue to work constructively with our partners in the EU and the UK to ensure that this free trade agreement proves a first building block rather than an end point.