The United Kingdom (UK) left the European Union on January 31, 2020 open to a transition period until December 2020. UK’s exit from the EU which has been termed Brexit will have various implications for South African exporters.
The UK will remain part of the EU Customs Union and single market during the transition period up to December 2020.
Wesgro, the official trade, tourism and investment agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape has developed a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document to guide Western Cape exporters on what to expect during and after the transition period.
Presently South Africa enjoys preferential trade with the United Kingdom under the Southern African Development Community- European Union Economic Partnership Agreement (SADC –EU EPA), however, after the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, they will no longer be a party to the trade agreements that the EU have with third party countries like South Africa.
The United Kingdom has therefore negotiated an agreement with South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, eSwatini, Namibia and Mozambique, the new trade agreement called the SACUM –UK EPA is similar to the SADC –EU EPA and will most likely come into effect on 1 January 2021.
The FAQ documents can be found here