If the outcome is positive, it has to be ratified by the European parliament as well. For now there are two likely scenarios: structured Brexit, based on the agreement, where the current trade rules remain until the end of 2020; and a no deal Brexit, where the UK becomes a third country on 30 March 2019 and the trade relations are governed by the WTO rules, from that very day.

Both the European Commission and the Polish public administration are taking measures to prepare  Polish business people for both scenarios. On 22 November 2018, the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Technology hosted a meeting for Polish entrepreneurs and business organisations. Małgorzata Kałużyńska from the Economic Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that a smooth Brexit with the Withdrawal Agreement is still plan A, but the deputy minister Marcin Ociepa underlined that business people need to prepare for the eventuality of a no-deal Brexit, with its immediate consequences for customs, border controls and supply chain. The intricacies of tax and customs changes were covered by the Ministry of Finance.

The ministries prepared a presentation on the negotiation steps, deal and no-deal frameworks as well as taxes in the no-deal scenario which is available on the webpage in the Polish language.

The European Commission has been preparing special notices for specific industries where the Brexit consequences are outlined in more details. These are available here.

The Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Technology created a special mailbox for Brexit inquiries: brexit@mpit.gov.pl

We also encourage our members to share their concerns about Brexit with the BPCC team (please, send it to hanna.pienczykowska@bpcc.org.pl). They will be passed on to the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Technology.