Interest in Brexit has waned among Swedish companies in the UK

On March 29, Britain leaves the European Union. This will have consequences for Swedish companies that trade with the country. But many small businesses aren’t ready for that, which DN was able to talk about yesterday.

But also Swedish entrepreneurs Small business owners in the UK have had a hard time grasping what is about to happen.

Large companies with Swedish ownership and operations in the UK, such as Stena Line and Astra Zeneca, can make assessments of how the different outcomes of Brexit will affect their operations. But smaller companies lack those resources and expertise.

at the Swedish Chamber of Commerce Therefore, a campaign to raise the level of knowledge about Brexit among Swedish small and medium-sized companies in the country is taking place in London.

– Yes, and also kind of interesting. We want to get companies to think about Brexit, says Peter Sandberg, chief executive of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce.

– He adds that in the past we did not receive many questions.

But then in late summer The British government, in turn, has published reports and evidence outlining the possible consequences of what a no-deal Brexit, or the so-called hard Brexit, could mean for different sectors.

Since then, interest has grown, says Sandberg.

The idea is that the UK will have a transition period between March 29 next year and the start of the year 2020/21, during which EU regulations will remain largely unchanged.

Peter Sandberg thinks Many entrepreneurs and small businesses expect this period to give them time to adjust to the new regulations that will be inevitable with Brexit.

– But the truth is that if there is a hard Brexit, there will be no transition period, says Sandberg.

– I’m not sure everyone knows that. He adds that this is why it is important for us to report it.

The Chamber of Commerce invites companies to open forums where they can ask questions. However, the challenges companies face differ, as do the issues.

It varies greatly from one company to another. The most realistic thing, Sandberg says, is largely about people and distribution chains.

British government He made it clear that the free movement of people in the European Union will end after Britain’s exit from the European Union, which worries some companies who need from time to time to send employees to the United Kingdom.

Peter Sandberg’s advice to companies is to carefully study the evidence published by the government. With this aid, companies have to go through their own deliveries, where different goods and services come in and they plan based on a scenario in which Brexit is hard – even if the British government expects an agreement and thus a transition period.

Read also: Brexit makes the EU more important for Sweden