Thread by @NicoleSykes_

I'm aware there's been some drama about this... And while there's no point fighting over who's more prepared, I think it's an objective fact that the EU has offered fewer short-term no deal mitigations than the UK has
🛫 for 6 months
🚛 for 9 months
That's about it (THREAD)

https://twitter.com/EUlondonrep/status/1155875118670909440

And there's politics, negotiation dynamics, international law in the way. I get it.
But in a world where the EU did want to reduce some of the damage of no deal, we at @CBItweets have some thoughts about what it could do (2/15)

@CBItweets 1. Communication
Firms in the EU haven't done much to get ready. 18% of 🇩🇪's Mittelstand report being well prepared, 33% of 🇸🇪's firms are ready. They need to do less than UK biz, but will be looking for reassurance in no deal - from use of FS to legal use of UK products (3/15)

@CBItweets Frankly, so will UK students at institutions across the continent, and frontier workers crossing borders each day. Spending time now to consider how else they can get reassurance would be sensible (4/15)

@CBItweets 2. Let 🇬🇧 firms apply for third-country licenses that they can't yet.
The EU's taken a mis-matched approach to this - eg its let chemicals firms sign up in advance to be ready for exit day and granted 3rd country status in animal products (5/15)

@CBItweets BUT it's not let UK producers of organic food get certification in advance, or let the UK start its application process to achieve an adequacy agreement for data flows.
The UK will still have to meet EU rules, so shouldn't be too big an ask to start early (6/15)

@CBItweets 3. Organising for no deal.
I hope there's a secret plan for how the EU organises for post-no deal emergency talks. Because they'll have to happen. We can't just all sit round ignoring the Irish border. Making sure individuals know they'll play a role in that is important (7/15)

@CBItweets That matters at the Member State level as well. In no deal, you'd expect that the UK would want to achieve reciprocal healthcare deals for its citizens living abroad, for example, and that's something to have a mind to resourcing early (8/15)

@CBItweets 4. Start preparing for October Council
Those two days are the only time that EU PMs, Presidents, Chancellors etc. have booked in to talk Brexit together. It's going to be a big leap if any further contingencies are to be agreed (9/15)

@CBItweets 5. Match some of the UK's temporary mitigations. The UK has recognised the EU's trusted traders, allowed EU lawyers to keep providing services, recognised its medicines... The list goes on (10/15)

@CBItweets This isn't just @cbitweets asking for these things to be matched. @BusinessEurope has asked for more reciprocal measures including on
💾 Data exchanges
🍗 Regulation of food
⚗️ Chemicals
🔋 Energy
💶 Gaps in financial services, such as cross-border mortgage contracts (11/15)

@CBItweets @BusinessEurope 6. If no deal occurs, encourage a pragmatic approach from authorities.
This will UNDOUBTEDLY vary from country to country. But if a UK lorry driver has obviously tried to meet requirements but made a small error, how heavily will you fine them? (12/15)

@CBItweets @BusinessEurope If a UK citizen misses the deadline for registration by a day or 2 (because some countries have only offered a 3 month grace period), how severe will the consequences be? PARTICULARLY if talks are ongoing to resume negotiation, would be politically messy to be too severe (13/15)

@CBItweets @BusinessEurope There's a lot more that could be done.
Allowing proper coordination at ports; continued information exchange in customs, public health and consumer safety; permitting chemicals registration data to be shared... (14/16)

@CBItweets @BusinessEurope I'm sure the replies to this will call us wildly optimistic and politically naive to hope any of this would happen. BUT I think we're also being called doomsters and gloomsters so 🤷‍♀️
This is what COULD be done. Some may already be. I'm fully aware of why the rest isn't (15/16)

@CBItweets @BusinessEurope But the first rule of political organising is you don't get anything if you don't ask.
Taking these actions could genuinely make a difference to reduce no deal disruption. That seems worth a try (16/16)