What is the Customs Union?

This is an area with a common set of rules for trading goods. These rules are applied at the border of the Customs Union. The Customs Union is made up of all Member states of the European Union together with certain others. No customs duties are levied on goods travelling within the Customs Union and—unlike a free trade area—members of the Customs Union impose a common external tariff on all goods entering the union from further afield.

Make UK is working closely with our members and lobbying government to avoid any slide back to hard borders, tariffs and complex customs arrangements. These would have tremendous impact on productivity, thousands of jobs and the UK economy as a whole.
We are asking that government delivers:
•    A low administrative threshold for manufacturers
•    Tariff free and quota free movement of goods
•    Common rules of origin with the EU and the rest of the world

What is the Single Market?

The European Single Market, or Common Market, is a single area where goods, services and capital can move freely and people can travel without barriers. Within this area, EU businesses and people can trade as easily with another member state as they can in their own member state.

The government has set a red line on movement of people and the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice, which will therefore leave the UK firmly outside the Single Market.

Make UK is actively campaigning for a system that:
•    Allows flexible movement of people
•    Has closely aligned regulation between the EU and UK
•    A system of arbitration that works for both

Learn more on how to prepare for Brexit.