Customs problems for Swedish companies after Brexit

The road to Britain’s exit from the European Union has always been long and difficult. At the last moment, the two parties were able to come to an agreement. Swedish companies are now struggling with new regulations and tougher customs challenges.

Since 2017, Anders Eckblad has served as the Brexit Coordinator for Volvo Group. He says there was a lot of work before and after Brexit.

For them, this applies to everything from how the various internal organizations working towards the UK are changing to the IT systems that need to be rebuilt and implemented. Small businesses are also affected by Brexit. Bertling Enviro in Gothenburg imports waste to Sweden for incineration.

Johan Strner, the company’s director, explains that they had to find partners in England: “As a Swedish company, you may not perform customs clearance in another country that is not a member of the European Union.”

But in general, it is believed that the process went well. “We’ve rebooted three times, so when the time came, it was nice to finally have it,” Strandner says.

Customs expert Peter Hellmann at the Swedish Western Chamber of Commerce had to answer many questions from entrepreneurs in 2020. He believes the biggest change is that customs clearance is now required. Which places great demands on corporate management.

At the same time, the agreement could mean companies could pay double tariffs, Hellman says. The first amount when importing from a country outside the European Union. Then another fee when exporting to the UK outside the EU.

Reporter: Anders Frick