26/09/2023 (Agence Europe) – From 1 January 2024, certain tariffs relating to rules of origin are set to reappear on products traded between the EU and the UK as a result of the transitional period on controls across the Channel coming to an end. Electric vehicles are particularly affected because their batteries and components are often manufactured outside Europe. Once controls are reintroduced, a 10% tariff should apply to European electric vehicles entering the UK, unless the bulk of the components are manufactured in the EU, which is virtually impossible at the moment. “This could cost EU vehicle makers €4.3 billion over the next three years,” according to the EU’s automotive industry representative,ACEA. Its Chairman and CEO of the Renault group, Luca de Meo, has proposed a “very simple” solution: “extend the current phase-in period for battery rules by three years”. (LM)