Since 1 January 2021, following the agreement concluded in extremis between the United Kingdom and the European Union, all the effects of Brexit have come into force. As a consequence for the cosmetics sector: European Regulation 1223/2009 no longer applies across the Channel and has been replaced by the British regulation. During a webinar organised under the aegis of ChemLinked on 23 February, Nicholas Shaw Núñez, Head of International Growth and Regulatory Services of the CTPA (Cosmestic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association), which represents the cosmetics industry in the United Kingdom, presented the details.
After a long and bumpy negotiating process, the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) were finally able to announce that they had reached a compromise and published the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA): a document of almost 1500 pages detailing the modalities of future relations between the two parties. It is applicable since 1 January 2021.
The EU/UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement
Nicholas Shaw Núñez began by talking about the main lines of this TCA.
• The text establishes the creation of a “Partnership Council”, bringing together representatives of both parties and responsible for the practical implementation of the TCA. It is assisted in this task by sectoral specialised Committees which make recommendations to it.
• The Partnership Council has the power to make amendments to the TCA for a period of five years, provided they are minor changes (correction of errors, clarification of terms, etc.).
• For trade in goods between the two parties, customs duties are prohibited as soon as the rules of origin are respected.
Points of particular interest to the cosmetics sector
• Chapter 4 of the TCA is devoted to “Technical Barriers to Trade”. It recognises that both parties are free to …
