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From 1 January 2021 there will be major changes in the UK’s trade and economic relations with the European Union. As of 12/31/2020, the transitional period set by the Exit Agreement ends at the beginning of 2020, according to an information note from the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis.
Even after the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (ATT) of 24 December, it is expected that new data will emerge with the new year, as the UK emerges from the EU single market and customs union, in particular in the areas of trade, customs, road transport, customs procedures and border controls, people and goods, as well as in tax, health and phytosanitary. , it is noted.
Although national preparations depend on and are inextricably linked to preparations at the level of the European Union, The Greek government highlighted in the same statement that it had been preparing intensively over the last period to mitigate the immediate consequences of the UK’s exit from the Single Market and the EU Customs Union, whether or not an agreement was finally reached. no.
In particular, the goal of the Greek government was:
– National legislative and administrative emergency measures are ready that could come into force immediately if an agreement is not finally reached.
– Completely and timely implement all the provisions of the Exit Agreement that enter into force on 1.1.2021, and
– Properly inform citizens and companies about the changes that will occur at the end of the transitional period, with or without agreement.
In this context, it is noted that the interventions of the Greek government moved in three directions: legislative, administrative and informing interested citizens and companies.
A) Legislative preparation
1. Law 4652/2020 on Brexit was presented by Vice Chancellor Miltiadis Varvitsiotis and adopted on January 23, 2020, which regulates the key issues of national competence arising from the entry into force of the Exit Agreement (citizens’ rights, separation issues ). Furthermore, it provides for the strengthening of AADE’s human resources, in order to attend to delays and problems in commercial and customs procedures at the end of the transitional period. It also includes provisions for non-negotiation (no-negotiation scenario) in the financial, tourism, insurance and transport sectors.
2. By authorization of the aforementioned law (N. 4652/2020), on October 19, 2020, JMAs and interpretative circulars of the Ministries of Citizen Protection and Immigration were adopted for the residence rights of the British beneficiaries of the Exit Agreement.
3. At the same time, the Ministry of Labor issued a circular on social security coordination issues, based directly on the relevant articles of the Exit Agreement.
Four. The last bill of 2020 presented by the Ministry of Health and voted on 12/21/2020 (by COVID19), provided the following amendments:
– possibility of adopting separate JMC (Ministers of Finance, Foreign Relations, Health and Labor) to continue the coordination of medical and social security coverage for the beneficiaries of the Exit Agreement, and
– Modification that would allow the uninterrupted continuation of the provision of financial services until 12.31.2021 in the event that an agreement is not reached (scenario without negotiation).
5. In addition, a JMC from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (and a relevant exchange of letters between Greece and the UK) is ready to regulate at the national level the exchange of driving licenses without review of the qualifications of the drivers. British citizens in Greece and Greek nationals in the United Kingdom. This issue is not regulated for all EU citizens by the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
6.The Ministry of Maritime Transport and Insular Policy has adopted an amendment that maintains ships of British interest in the Greek register until 2024 with the possibility of extension, in order to have time to follow the necessary procedures to remain in the Greek register.
7. Finally, with the JMC of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the co-responsible Ministries, two Inter-ministerial Project Monitoring Teams will be established immediately, which will resolve the emerging problems of citizens’ rights and intellectual property and geographical indications, as provided in the Agreement. of Exit and the recent UK-EU Cooperation.
B) Administrative preparation (at national and European level)
In order to better inform and prepare the Greek Public Administration regarding what will apply at the end of the transition period, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as noted in the same announcement, stepped up coordination from June 2020 of the relevant ministries and agencies, by coordinating teleconferences.
The objective was to determine the level of preparedness of the ministries at regular intervals, to examine the possible problems in each sector separately and to make decisions on the necessary legislative, administrative, technical, organizational and information measures.
These teleconferences took place between June and November 2020, initially between the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Varvitsiotis, who had the role of Chief Coordinator as Minister in charge of European Affairs and Brexit, and the General Secretaries of the Ministries. This was followed by a series of 13 thematic teleconferences by the Interministerial Brexit Committee.
At the same time, a series of teleconferences and meetings were held between Greek services, on the one hand, and British and European organizations, on the other, so that Greek Public Administration executives could answer questions and follow best practices. for the better implementation of the contractual and administrative obligations of the country.
So far, under the coordination of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Varvitsiotis, the following has occurred:
– 2 teleconferences with General Secretaries of Ministries.
– 1 plenary conference call of the Interministerial Committee on Brexit
– 13 thematic teleconferences of the Interministerial Brexit Committee
– 1 teleconference of the Interministerial Committee with those responsible for preparing the Member States for the end of the transitional period,
– 1 e-workshop of the Interministerial Brexit Committee with the British side on civil rights.
– 4 teleconferences of the FREEMO Group
– 6 meetings / teleconferences of the Special Committees of the Exit Agreement
– 2 meetings / teleconferences of the Administrative Commission of the EU for the coordination of social security systems
– 2 teleconferences of the British CAA with the Greek CAA.
As an indication, it is announced that among the topics examined:
The rights of British citizens in Greece and of Greek citizens in the United Kingdom
· Customs and tax procedures once the transitional period is over,
Changes in air, road (goods and passengers), rail and sea transport,
The implications for the tourism sector
The implications for the financial sector
The effects on intellectual property and geographical indications
The management of cargo flows to and from the UK
Future police and judicial cooperation in case of not reaching an agreement
· Education and culture issues,
Digital policy issues
· Energy, environmental and climate issues, etc.
C) Information from interested citizens and companies
For the preparation of Greek citizens and Greek companies with a view to leaving the UK, the Foreign Office:
– Co-organized, in 2019, with the Central Union of Greek Chambers of Commerce, EVEA and EBETH 3 days to prepare Greek companies for the no-deal scenario, with the participation of the Deputy Secretary General of the European Commission Ms. Gauer, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Varvitsiotis and the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Frangogiannis.
– Organization, in 2020, of three e-webinars, in collaboration with the competent customs and border authorities of the United Kingdom, for the presentation of the new customs model of the United Kingdom that will be implemented from 1.1.2021.
– Created the website Brexit.gov.gr, which is constantly updated with information about Brexit and through which it answers questions from citizens (British and Greek) and companies.
– He also frequently posts business information on the Agora website through the London ISD office. Individual thematic information has been published on the websites of other ministries and agencies (Ministry of Culture, Immigration, Transport, AADE, Development and Investment, General State Chemistry, etc.), with the Brexit.gov.gr banner.
-In January – June 2021, there will be a digital information campaign on social media for British citizens in Greece.
-In January 2021, an electronic conference or digital information campaign is planned to inform companies about what will ultimately apply to customs and other procedures, according to the recent trade agreement between the UK and the EU.
-For the first weeks of January 2021, there will be a Helpline of the European Commission and a corresponding helpline in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Citizen Protection, the Ministry of Immigration and the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs for the information of citizens and companies.
The initial EU-UK agreement signed on 24 December has been welcomed by the Foreign Office as it lays the foundation for a strong new partnership and, as announced after the announcement, both Deputy Foreign Minister Varvitsiotis Like Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, this is where Europe is moving forward, as it is a historic trade agreement and it will be the basis for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides in the future. Instead, a non-agreement would have unintended consequences for trade, the economy, citizens and businesses in all EU member states.
In any case, Greece, with the aim of strengthening cooperation with the United Kingdom in areas of mutual interest and in the post-Brexit era, continues its bilateral consultations with the British side. In this context, initiatives have already been taken, such as the Immigration Action Plan and the Defense Action Plan, while evaluating the possibility of revising (a) the Greece-United Kingdom Education and Culture Agreement of 1953, (b ) the Greece-UK Agreement. for the shipping sector and (c) the double taxation agreement.
With information from ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ
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