Vilnius, Lithuania: Girteka Logistics is a founder member of the Customs Clearance Consortium, a customs agency created to address Brexit challenges.
The consortium can arrange customs clearance anywhere in the UK and Ireland, as well as having strong network connections across Europe.
UK estimates are for a five-fold increase in the number of declarations as a result of Brexit: some 200 million additional documents a year.
While tariffs and product regulations will influence trade flows, it is paperwork that has the potential to bring things to a grinding halt. It is recognised that there is a huge shortage of customs agents and this only adds to the problem.
“It doesn’t matter what kind of customs union is in place, or whether there is a free-trade agreement. After Brexit, full customs declarations will be required…” said Carol-Ann O’Keeffe, Revenue Commissioners, Ireland.
Kristian Kaas Mortensen, director, strategic partnerships, Girteka Logistics, said: “We are proud of being a founding member of the Customs Clearance Consortium, in a time when future UK’s customs regime expertise is in short supply.
“We in Girteka Logistics wanted to not only solve the problem but also excel in doing so, with the support of Robert Hardy and his colleagues we believe we have found the best possible solution.”
The consortium team includes trained customs practitioners. Robert Hardy is operations director of the Consortium. He has previous experience of running the largest 24-hour customs freight terminal in the UK and is a registered expert with the EU Commission.
“We are delighted to have Girteka Logistics as a founder member of the consortium and will be working closely together over the coming months to stress test our plans for ‘frictionless’ freight flows no matter what shape Brexit finally takes,” Hardy said.
The UK is about to enter a transition period as defined by the Withdrawal Agreement which is expected to end in December 2020. Girteka Logistics, along with the Customs Clearance Consortium, are not standing idle but instead are busy designing and testing processes to allow customs documentation to be non-evasive and not allowed to hinder the free movement of Girteka Logistics trucks or, more importantly, clients’ freight, Hardy said.
