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+44 (0) 2476 414 999- Posted on Jun 23, 2017
Brexit was on the agenda of FESI’s Trade & Customs meeting which took place earlier this week at the House of Sport, Brussels. The Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry is the representative body for the sporting goods sector in Europe, and engages with the major European institutions that impact the industry.
FSPA Managing Director, Jane Montgomery, who sits on the FESI Board of Directors, was amongst the ten or so attendees, and explains: “The first phase of the Brexit negotiations will focus on the divorce agreement. Once substantial progress has been achieved, consultations will start to address future relations between the UK and the EU.
“Youri Mercier, FESI’s Public Policy Manager, gave an update on trade, customs procedures, standards and regulations, following a meeting with Lindsay Jamieson from the Government’s UKRep Team in Brussels. Whilst it was mostly an introductory meeting, the UK asked specific questions on the Registered Exporters System (REX) and FESI recommended that the UK implements a similar mechanism. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) certification was also discussed regarding the extent to which FESI members were using UK-notified bodies to certify their products.
“We share FESI’s view that the ‘no deal is better than a bad deal’ stance is not an option,” says Jane. “It will be fundamental for business that the UK legal framework remains as close as possible to the EU one on standards, chemical legislations and so on – with some exceptions where the UK could gain a competitive advantage.
“It was agreed that we would work very closely with FESI on these and other issues going forward on behalf of FESI and FSPA members.”