Brexit round-up – 29/01/21

Agreement between UK and Swiss Confederation on police cooperation

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has published details of an agreement between the UK and Switzerland on police cooperation. The purpose of the agreement is to strengthen police cooperation in an effort to prevent threats to public security and tackle criminal offences, notably serious crimes including fraud, financial crime and corruption, in particular by exchanging information at strategic and operational levels, and by maintaining contact between Competent Authorities, in accordance with each Party’s national laws and international obligations. The agreement provides for the exchange of information, including personal data, cooperation in the development of systems and technology and joint operations. The agreement does not apply to mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, extradition, the transfer of proceedings or the enforcement of penalties in criminal proceedings. For the United Kingdom, the Competent Authorities includes The Home Office, HM Revenue & Customs, The National Crime Agency, Crown Prosecution Service, Serious Fraud Office, UK police forces and designated law enforcement authorities, and any other body or organisation which is affiliated to UK law enforcement or which is established or hosted by them.

For more information please click here.

Amazon to remove some products for sale to Northern Ireland

Following the UK’s departure from the EU, Northern Ireland remains part of the EU’s single market for goods which means that parcels arriving into Northern Ireland from the UK will need a customs declaration and may also be subject to excise duty twice on shipments. There is currently a grace period on the changes until 1 April 2021 but Amazon has already announced that from the beginning of the year it would not ship beer, wine and spirits to Northern Ireland due to the extra measures and costs it faced. It has now also announced that other goods such as food supplements and some over-the-counter medicines may also be unavailable. A UK government spokesperson said “These goods will not be taxed twice, and we will issue new guidance clarifying the position to ensure any remaining issues are addressed.”

For more information please click here.

Webinar: Data protection post Brexit – be prepared

The first in our series of post-Brexit webinars will be looking at the impact the UK’s withdrawal has had and may have on data protection rules, and how you can prepare for what is to come. Damien Charlton will be in conversation with our data protection experts Phil Tompkins and Chris Bowen on 3rd February at 12pm.

For more information and to book please click here.

If you have any questions about any of the issues which are raised, or would like to discuss your own organisation’s options during the Brexit process, please do not hesitate to get in touch.