The Government and the EU have agreed an extension of the UK’s membership until 31 October 2019 at the latest.
This means UK hauliers can continue to operate across the EU as usual until then, but there are some changes now being passed onto the industry.
While the Government hopes to leave before then, we will only leave earlier if a deal is agreed, which would allow continued permit-free access arrangements to continue.
This means that either:
- The UK leaves the EU without a deal on 31 October 2019; or
- The UK leaves the EU with a deal, before 31 October, in which case, access to the EU will remain unchanged until 2021.
So until 31 October 2019 at the earliest, hauliers can continue to operate across the EU as you do now, without the need for an ECMT permit.
The EU has also passed a new law ensuring that, even if the UK leaves the EU without a deal on 31 October, more than 90% of journeys to the EU won’t require an ECMT permit for the remainder of 2019.
Regardless of when the UK leaves the EU, hauliers must register any trailers you plan on using for journeys outside the UK and Ireland. This new requirement came into force on 28 March 2019.
If you fail to register your trailer, you may be fined or subject to other enforcement action.