The Government has taken a significant step forward in delivering
on its commitment to find workable alternatives to the Northern
Ireland backstop by establishing an advisory group of technical
experts in customs and trade to test ideas.
The UK and EU have a shared desire to replace the backstop with
alternative arrangements to ensure there is no hard border — and
both sides have previously committed to prioritising the
development of these in the next phase of talks.
The Technical Alternative Arrangements Advisory Group is the
first of three domestic advisory groups that the
Government announced earlier this
year. The second will be comprised of business and trade
unions, and the third made up of parliamentarians.
These groups will help inform the UK’s negotiations with the EU
on developing alternative arrangements to the Northern Ireland
backstop, set out in the Withdrawal Agreement, with the aim of
replacing it by December 2020 so that it is never needed.
The first meeting of the technical group will take place today
(Thursday 20th June). It will be co-chaired by Brexit Secretary,
, and Financial Secretary to
the Treasury, .
Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, , said:
“There has been considerable debate about the alternative
arrangements that could be put in place to replace the backstop,
including how we could harness the power of cutting-edge
technologies, trusted trader schemes, and IT systems.
“There has also been shared recognition by both the UK Government
and the EU Commission that this work must be an absolute priority
as we shape the future partnership.
“The technical group will provide a forum for experts to discuss
workable alternative arrangements, assessing both capability and
timelines and bringing their significant experience to bear.”
Financial Secretary to the Treasury, said:
“This group represents a broad spectrum of views and expertise,
all of which will be needed to achieve our economic, fiscal and
security objectives in the unique circumstances of the Northern
Ireland land border.”
The technical group will bring together individuals from both the
public and private sector, and academia, who have expertise on
issues spanning law, customs, supply chains, cross-border trade
and technology.
They will consider processes associated with the movement of
goods across borders and options for simplifying them, such as
trusted trader programmes and advanced use of data and IT
systems.
The Government has made available £20 million of funding to
support the development, testing or piloting of ideas, including
those that emerge from these groups.
Technical Alternative Arrangements Advisory Group Members:
