Recommendation 4

We welcome the Government’s awareness of the issues around the use of rules of origin provisions. There is a clear opportunity for UK manufacturers to develop new business models, but equally member countries that are geographically closer to each other may find it easier to develop integrated supply chains. Overall, we are concerned about the extent to which businesses in general, and SMEs in particular, will be able to take advantage of the provisions on offer and call on the Government to monitor this carefully. Implementation will be a key factor, particularly for businesses not currently exporting goods.