UPDATE Chamber Chief’s
During such an uncertain period, NI Chamber is committed to helping you and your business deal with the current situation and the challenges ahead. NI Chamber Chief Executive Ann McGregor provides an overview of what’s coming up and what’s taken place recently.
W
ith businesses facing an array of
needs certainty, in the form of a long
possible to communities in Northern
ongoing challenges, NI Chamber
term workable solution that is done with
Ireland. Affordability is therefore critical.
has been working hard on behalf
business, not to it. We need the EU and
The costs of new processes must be kept
of members, articulating your experiences
the UK Government to work with technical
to a minimum to allow us to continue to
and seeking urgent solutions.
experts to design a system that works
give households the choice and affordability
Last month I attended a meeting about
for business and the people of Northern
they need.
the Protocol with CDL, Michael Gove and
Ireland. That includes issues such as the
European Commission Vice President,
island of Ireland economy and quotas.
Maros Sefcovic. That was a very significant
Utilising digitisation will lead to much
And of course we need a way to communicate our concerns, challenges and solutions to the EU and UK. I am
engagement, where along with other
needed simplicity, delivering a simpler
pleased that we secured agreement to set
business colleagues, I highlighted that
Trusted Trader agreement and a veterinary
up a business consultative body with NI
business requires a number of things.
agreement to remove frictions. This needs
Chamber as one of the members.
Businesses need stability to allow them
to be proportionate to the low level of risk
February also saw continued interaction
to adapt to the changes and challenges of
of UK retail goods coming into Northern
with local elected representatives, including
the Protocol. That means an extension to
and going onto the single market, due to
First Minister Arlene Foster and Junior
the grace periods to allow them to continue
the dead-end-host principle. All of this
Minister Declan Kearney, who were briefed
to adapt. A stable trading environment
must be done will the least disruption
on our recently published policy document, ‘Thrive’. Similarly, Justice Minister Naomi Long also met members of our Board and Policy team to discuss those policy priorities. In addition, members also had the opportunity to speak directly with Interim Head of the Civil Service, Jenny Pyper. We continue to engage strongly with policy makers in Westminster too. Recently a group of members had the opportunity to meet with Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Kwasi Kwarteng MP at an event supported by SSE Airtricity, while another group spoke with UK Net Zero Champion Andrew Griffith at an Energy Forum, delivered alongside SONI. In mid-February, we released the results of our latest COVID-19 survey, which
NI Chamber continued its series of engagements with the NI Executive over the past weeks.
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provided some of the clearest evidence yet that business support schemes, including
