Brexit hub

 

 

 

 

The existing Brussels (recast) Regulation 1215/2012 currently applies in the absence of a clear contractual jurisdiction agreement.  To avoid unnecessary complication, clear agreements should form part of trading relationships.  Where non-contractual liability is in issue, the current Regulation determines which courts in which countries have jurisdiction to hear and determine particular claims.

Currently Regulation (EC) 593/2008 and Regulation EC 864/2007 apply to determine which law governs a problem where the parties are in different member states of the EU.  If the UK discontinues these regimes, they will still be applied by the remaining 27 member states even if the parties are domiciled in the UK.  Clear governing law clauses should always be included as part of a trading relationship where possible.

The current regime is aimed at making the recognition and enforcement of judgments across the UK as uniform as possible.  Post-Brexit this regime may be disapplied and a new one substituted for it.  Enforcing UK judgments in the EU may become more difficult, although it is far from simple even under the current “harmonised” regime.

Under the current system you can do this without having to apply to the Court for permission.  In a post-Brexit scenario, it is most likely that an application for permission will need to be made before service can validly take place.

Currently there are three specific areas to focus upon:

1. The Standard International Operators Licence that all UK hauliers must have;
2. the Community Licence which provides unlimited international journeys for both ‘hire and reward’ and limited cabotage;
3. Certificate of Professional competence (“CPC”) which all professional drivers must have

The European Conference of Ministers Transport ("ECMT") permit scheme allows, if a permit is granted, for UK hauliers to carry goods to or through 43 countries to include all of the EU member states.

Yes – either a Standard International Operators Licence or a Restricted Goods Operator Licence must be held beyond Brexit. Crucially, one of these licences must be held to apply for an ECMT permit.

Yes a CPC will be required however, there is no guarantee that the EU Member States will recognise the CPC beyond Brexit but if you are driving a UK business truck with a valid ECMT permit then no further qualification is required. If you are driving for an EU operator then you will need to hold a CPC issued by an EU country.

In the event of no deal, hauliers will not be able to rely on Community Licences alone to continue their haulage business within the EU Member States as it is unlikely that those Member States will recognise the Licence. Hauliers will also not have access to the limited cabotage rights they currently enjoy.

ECMT permits will facilitate the continuation of hauliers’ business if there is no deal. An ECMT permit must be carried in the vehicle at all times during the cross border journey and the ECMT permit is interchangeable between vehicles. Whilst the ECMT permit allows transit of goods, there are restrictions in place for transit to Italy, Austria, Hungary and Greece.

The permits are extremely limited and demand is likely to far outweigh supply. The Department for Transport have confirmed that for 2019 the following number of permits will be available for allocation:

• For Euro VI Emission vehicles – 984 annual permits;
• For Euro VI Emission vehicles – 2,592 monthly permits;
• For Euro V or VI Emission vehicles – 240 monthly permits.

The number of licences is severely restricted and there are concerns that smaller businesses may not be successful and be unable to continue trading. The Department are applying a criteria for determining applications which includes:

• The vehicle emission levels;
• The goods that are being carried;
• The proportion of the individual haulage that is international; and
• The number of international journeys made in the last 12 months.

Hauliers can apply who conduct international business however, the hauliers’ vehicles must meet the Euro VI Emissions Standards.

The application process is open from November 2018 and applicants must have a Vehicle Operator Licence online account in order to apply.

No. In particular, vehicles under 3.5 tonnes are exempt from the licence requirements. Hauliers operating on own account and carrying their own goods do not require an operator’s licence.

You will need to consider alternative arrangements and consider your supply chain contracts immediately.

In the short term there is no reason to believe that projects on foot will not continue. EU laws implemented into English and Welsh law will remain until a decision is taken on the terms of Brexit and as a consequence which, if any, laws should be repealed. It appears unlikely that laws relating to health and safety (including the CDM Regulations) or design standards would be repealed but there will have to be a watching brief over issues such as laws on procurement and environmental legislation.

Any change to rules on immigration (which seems to be the focus of government) will no doubt have an impact on infrastructure projects. There is an existing and well reported skills shortage and the UK relies heavily on immigrant skilled workers. Therefore any limits on immigration could lead to an increase in cost with demand outstripping supply, a lack of resource to complete major projects and a consequential potential for delays.

Existing and future projects will be impacted by available funds and investment. In the short term there has already been a reluctance by private investors to commit to investment fuelled by uncertainty and currency fluctuations. Whilst the government remains committed to infrastructure spending, and has set up interim measures to guarantee EU funding already in place, the position in relation to future funding, government commitment to that and what will or might have to replace EU funding remains to be seen.

No. Unfair dismissal is fairly entrenched in UK law and is not EU based or dependant on EU law. In any event there does not seem to be any political will to roll back UK unfair dismissal law.

A significant proportion of the UK's employment law derives from the EU, including discrimination rights, collective consultation obligations, transfer of undertakings regulations, family leave, working time regulations and duties to agency workers. In theory the UK Government could repeal all of this post-Brexit. However, in reality the Government is unlikely to take this step and it is far more probable that EU law will continue to exercise a significant influence on UK law even after we leave the EU. Some EU employment laws merely subsumed protections that were already provided by existing UK law. It is not likely that the Government would want to reduce these protections. For example the Equal Pay Act 1970 which requires that men and women should receive equal pay for equal work, was enacted before the UK joined the European Economic Community. As the Act pre-dates membership it is unlikely to be vulnerable following Brexit.

Probably. TUPE promotes dialogue with employees at times of business evolution and preserves jobs, so the Government is likely to think carefully before making a change. Furthermore, change may be unattractive because the goalposts are moved mid term for service providers who are in the middle of delivering contracts and the prospect of change destabilises procurement processes. Furthermore the UK has chosen not only to incorporate TUPE into domestic law but to go beyond the requirements European Law. Employment law on the transfer of undertakings applies more broadly in the UK than in the rest of Europe. In future we may see some attempts to remodel or refine TUPE to be more ‘business-friendly’ but the cores principles are unlikely to change.

It is not yet clear which, if any elements of UK employment law will come under review when we exit the European Union. However, it is rumoured that a post-Brexit Government might start by reviewing the Agency Workers Regulations (which entitle agency staff to the same pay and basic working conditions as equivalent permanent staff).  The unpopular Regulations have been criticised by the CBI as a ‘drag on job creation’ and may be ripe for repeal. It has also been suggested that the Government may take steps post-Brexit to introduce a cap on the compensation payable in discrimination claims and to make it easier for employers to ‘harmonise’ employee terms and conditions following a TUPE transfer. However, nothing has been confirmed.

Currently, the UK courts must interpret EU-derived law in accordance with ECJ decisions (and a body of UK case law has built up that applies these ECJ decisions).However, on leaving the EU, the ECJ will no longer have jurisdiction over the UK courts and its future decisions will not be binding. It is unclear to what extent UK courts will continue to follow past ECJ decisions. It seems likely that the UK Courts will follow previously established precedents in order to preserve legal certainty. It is also possible that UK courts will continue to treat ECJ decisions (even future ones) as persuasive, even if not binding. The approach adopted will have a huge impact on the future direction of UK employment law because some areas of UK employment law such as working time, annual leave and holiday pay rely heavily on a string of past EU case-law.

Yes; until the UK exits the EU, the UK continues to be bound by any existing EU case law.

For those EU workers who are already living and working in the UK, the Government has said that it cannot offer guarantees about their position at this stage when it has not yet received assurances about UK workers living elsewhere in Europe. However, it has said that ‘when we do leave the EU we fully expect that the legal status of EU nationals living in the UK will be properly protected’. Therefore EU workers can be assured to an extent that this is the Government’s intention. We do not know however what sort of ‘cut off’ date may apply in terms of protecting the rights of EU workers who are already living and working in the UK. That may be the date that the UK exits the EU or it may be an earlier date to avoid a flood of EU workers coming to the UK.

For those EU workers who have lived continuously and lawfully in the UK for 5 years, they have a permanent right to live in the UK according to EU law. They can apply for a residence document to prove this and it may be advisable to obtain this document so that their status is clear in the longer term. EU nationals who have lived continuously and lawfully in the UK for at least 6 years are eligible to apply for British citizenship if they would like to do so and that may make sense in the circumstances.

We do not currently know what rules will replace the current regime. It appears that the Government does not wish to replace the current rules for EU workers with a points based immigration system. That may be a relief for employers provided that any new rules are sufficiently flexible for the needs of UK employers to recruit the staff they need and provided that there aren’t considerable visa costs of any new system. The emphasis appears to be on a new system that will give the Government more control over migrant workers so employers can expect more paperwork and less flexibility in future, whatever rules are introduced.

Yes you will but as the UK will be leaving the Single Market and Custom Union, goods traded will be subject to the same requirements as goods from third countries currently are.

Your business will need to consider:-

• how the import declarations are to be made;
• how customs checks may impact the time taken for the goods to be imported and how this will affect your supply chain contracts;
• how customs duties will be paid;
• registration for an UK Economic Operator Registration and Identification number (“EORI”); and
• ensure contracts and International Terms and Conditions of Service reflect that your business is an importer.

Before your business can import goods you will need to:-

• have acquired a valid EORI number;
• ensure your carrier of the imported goods has submitted an Entry Summary Declaration at the appropriate time;
• submit to HMRC your import declaration;
• Pay
  - VAT
  - Import duties
  - Excise duties if applicable

The UK will become a third country and therefore the compliance procedures for exporting to any other non EU country will apply to your exports to EU Member States. Your business will need to consider, prior to exporting:

• Similar to importing, ensure that your contracts and International Terms and Conditions of Service are reflective of your status as an exporter;
• Register to receive a UK EORI number;
• How your export declarations will be submitted; and
• Whether your supply chain contracts can be sufficiently flexible to accommodate any delay in the export of the goods caused by custom checks.

When exporting goods beyond Brexit (assuming a no deal scenario) your business will need to:

• Submit an export declaration prior to the goods leaving the UK;
• Possibly apply for an export licence depending upon the type of goods being exported;
• Ensure you have a valid EORI number; and
• Ensure your carrier submits the Exit Summary Declaration to the recipient country.

Will your business use customs procedures?

Will you instruct a customs broker?

Will you need, due to the goods being traded, customs warehousing?

Does your business need temporary admissions?

Will the UK Government be successful in re-joining the Common Transit Convention?

Does your business have sufficient cash flow for the additional requisite payments required on importing and exporting?

The referendum result indicated that the population of Scotland was in favour of remaining in the EU by a very significant majority. Since the referendum, the First Minister for Scotland has noted that she is exploring all options to protect Scotland’s interests in Europe. Although the first Independence Referendum was intended to settle the issue of independence for a generation, the First Minister’s position is that leaving the EU is a ‘material change of circumstances’ that could justify a second Independence Referendum. However,  she is likely to wait for an appropriate time before campaigning for this depending on how much support there is. In the meantime, Scotland is impacted by Brexit in the same way as the rest of the UK. The UK government will conduct negotiaPropertiestions on behalf of the whole of the UK once Article 50 has been triggered. At the same time as these negotiations are taking place the move towards increased devolution as set out by the Smith report will continue. This will make considerable changes to the legal landscape in Scotland.

Scotland has no right to remain part of the EU as it remains part of the UK. It will be impacted by Brexit in the same way as the rest of the UK.  However, some argue that the Scottish Parliament will have some influence over Brexit in that it will need to pass a legislative consent motion in order for Westminster to enact the Great Repeal Bill. This Bill will:

• Repeal the European Communities Act 1972 (the legislation which facilitated the UK’s accession to the EU, which means that EU law has priority over UK law and which means that certain EU laws have direct effect); and
• Result in EU laws being implemented into UK law for a transitional period which will enable Parliament to pick and choose which laws it wants to keep:

The Scottish Government argues that a legislative consent motion is required for this Bill because under the Sewell convention (contained in the Scotland Act 2016) the UK Parliament will not ‘normally legislate with regard to devolved matters’ without the consent of the Scottish Parliament itself.  They argue that devolved matters will be impacted by Brexit. The UK Government’s view is that a legislative consent motion is not required. This issue will no doubt be the focus of some political arguments.