European organisations representing businesses and trade unions expressed their concern on Wednesday, 16 January following the massive rejection by the British Parliament of the agreement on an orderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union.
Everyone fears the scenario of a Brexit without an agreement (‘no deal’) on 29 March, a possibility that is more likely than ever. Some insisted on the need to be prepared for this nonetheless.
“Unfortunately, yesterday’s vote considerably increased the risk of no agreement”, regretted Markus J. Beyrer, Managing Director of BusinessEurope, for whom a no deal Brexit would create “chaos and confusion”.
For Antoine Leccia, president of the Fédération des exportateurs de vins et spiritueux de France, the British decision could have serious consequences for the economy and citizens on both sides.
For its part, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) considers that the prospect of a no deal Brexit poses real, tangible and immediate threats to patient safety and public health in both the United Kingdom and Europe.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are also concerned about the vote of British MEPs, which is increasing their fears of a Brexit without agreement. Such a scenario would be “a disaster for UK SMEs, but would also pose major problems for SMEs in the rest of the EU”, according to Ulrike Rabmer-Koller, president of SMEunited.
The same is true in France of the Confederation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (CPME), which is concerned about the practical consequences of a no deal Brexit, not only for the 30,000 French SMEs that trade with the United Kingdom, but more generally for certain sectors of activity.
There is also concern on the part of the trade unions. “Time is running out, and no deal threatens jobs and rights in the United Kingdom and the EU”, said Luca Visentini, Secretary General of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), on the rejection of the British withdrawal agreement.
Preparing for a no deal Brexit
In addition to their concerns, some organizations are highlighting the need to prepare as much as possible for a Brexit without agreement at the end of March, in order to limit its harmful consequences.
In light of the situation, BusinessEurope, for example, is calling on the United Kingdom and the EU to speed up preparations in order to mitigate major disruptions in key areas such as food and drug supply, transport, digital data flow, and financial markets.
This position is supported by the EFPIA, which believes that it is time for UK and EU policy makers to put politics aside and take action to prevent patients from suffering the consequences of Brexit.
Finally, other organisations are also highlighting the preparations of the companies themselves for a no deal Brexit. This is particularly the case for Finance Watch, which believes that preparations for a no deal Brexit must be carried out by both governments and companies, so that citizens suffer as little as possible from the consequences of a Brexit without agreement. (Original version in French by Damien Genicot – intern)