This Thursday, FEPEX will hold a webinar on the Fruit Attraction LIVEConnect platform to analyze how the competition of third countries in the United Kingdom will be affected in the event of a Brexit without an agreement. This webinar will be opened by the director of the fair, Raul Calleja, and it'll include the participation of Camino Arroyo, from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Negotiations between the EU and the UK are in their final stretch. Yesterday the European Commission reported that the chief negotiator of the European Union, Michel Barnier, will remain in London until next Wednesday; after the negotiation with his British counterpart, David Frost, was extended for three more days.
However, if there is no agreement that can be approved before the end of the transitional period, on December 31, European exports will have to pay the customs duties set by the World Trade Organization. This means that Spanish fruit and vegetable exports would have to pay 198 million euro per year in tariffs, according to estimates by FEPEX.
The "Competition from third countries in the United Kingdom in the event of a Brexit without an agreement" webinar will analyze the tariffs that each product would have to pay and what this would entail for the Spanish export sector, as other countries that export to the UK have reached bilateral agreements with this destination and won't have to pay these fees.
The webinar, organized by FEPEX, will be inaugurated by the director of Fruit Attraction, Raul Calleja, and have the participation of the general director of the Federation, Jose María Pozancos, and the deputy director-general of Fruits and Vegetables and Viticulture of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Camino Arroyo. It will be held on Thursday, October 29, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. via the Fruit Attraction LIVEConnect Platform.
To attend it, one must create a professional profile on the Fruit Attraction LIVEConnect platform via this link, using the FEPEX invitation code: FA200000041NA
The United Kingdom is the third-biggest market for the Spanish fruit and vegetable export sector. In the first half of 2020, this sector's exports to that destination amounted to 1,160 million euro, i.e. 9% more than in the same period of the previous year. In 2019 Spain exported 1.5 million tons of fruits and vegetables to the UK worth 1,779 million euro, i.e. 5% and 1% more than in 2018, respectively, according to data from the Customs and Excise Department.
For more information:
FEPEX
www.fepex.es