Following the UK’s decision to leave the EU, companies in Great Britain (GB) exporting products governed by EU harmonised regulation (medical devices, toys, machinery, etc.) have had to appoint a Responsible Person in the EU to comply with local regulation. EU regulation dictates that a Responsible Person can be an individual residing in, or a company established in the EU, often referred to as ‘natural’ and ‘legal persons’ respectively.
The Northern Ireland Protocol negotiated as part of the UK Withdrawal Agreement, and more recently the Windsor Framework, suspends Northern Ireland (NI) in a kind of hybrid situation. For the purpose of goods, NI remains closely aligned to the EU Single Market and therefore must comply with all product regulation, despite being part of the UK Customs Territory.
What does this mean? Essentially this means that product regulation applicable to GB exports to the EU, also applies to GB goods going into NI.
EU General Product Safety Regulation (EU GPSR) which repeals the longstanding General Product Safety Directive (GPSD), extends the requirement for an EU Responsible Person to non-harmonised goods when they are sold to consumers via distance sales and online marketplaces.
What does this mean? Essentially, it means that tens of thousands of GB micro businesses and SMEs exporting furniture, clothing and footwear, baby products, pet products, home decor, sports equipment, and many more products to consumers, now find themselves in the position of having to appoint a Responsible Person (often cost-prohibitive) or cease trading with the EU.
Global Trade Department (GTD) supported hundreds and thousands of small companies navigate some of the darkest and most challenging days post Brexit. We continue to remove barriers for businesses today through customs simplified procedure authorisations, EU VAT registrations, and a whole host of workarounds, as the most determined of GB companies strive to regain their competitiveness in the bloc post Brexit.
The tenacity of our micro businesses and SMEs never ceases to amaze us; we believe that those still trying to regain their foothold in the EU should be given every ounce of support to do so. We have delivered webinars for the Department of Business and Trade on GPSR and, as of 17th December 2024, supported almost 600 businesses directly and via Live Q&As. In response to the volume of companies asking us to represent them, GTD is pleased to be able to now offer this EU Authorised Representative facility for the small business community.
As our MD, Andrea Collins says “We remain a global trade consultancy doing all things import and export, that will never change. But we love regulation and helping companies, particularly SMEs, be fully compliant, whether that be with GPSR or the full spectrum of global sustainability regulation. Our decision to establish ourselves as an authorised representative allows us to offer that end-to-end service for our small companies, but most importantly at a cost that they can afford. We don’t want to see any small business cease trading with the EU because of GPSR or any other regulation, certainly not when we can step in to help.”
If you’re a small business struggling with GPSR or indeed any EU regulation that dictates you appoint an EU Authorised Representative, simply book a 15 minute session via the booking app below and we will do what we can to help.
Obtain an impartial, outside-in assessment of your current global trading processes and practices, with practical recommendations of how you can incorporate sustainability values and targets to meet future regulatory requirements and drive long-term growth.
Great Britain: Global Trade Department Ltd, Kingston House, Great Western Way, Swindon, Wilshire, SN5 8UB, Great Britain.
Global Trade Department Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales, Company no: 07000152. VAT no: GB994 7629 49
EU/Northern Ireland: Global Trade Department (NI) Ltd, Office 834, Unit 6, 100 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 6AG, Northern Ireland.
Global Trade Department (NI) Ltd is a company registered in Northern Ireland, Company no: NI724330
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