The new legislation is rolled out from today, and some businesses have said that they will have to stop fulfilling orders.
New EU rules are affecting UK businesses (Image: Getty)
A new EU regulation has impacted businesses in Britain as businesspeople face extra costs.
The General Product Safety Regulation (GPRS) law has been rolled out in an effort to better protect consumers on the continent against products sold offline or online that are potentially dangerous.
The red tape has been deemed necessary due to the growth of aspects of trade such as e-commerce – the buying and selling of products and services online – and dropshipping – a retail business model that allows sellers to sell products online without keeping inventory or shipping the products themselves.
The combination has reportedly made it more common for convincing looking websites to sell below standard or perhaps hazardous goods.
Best for Britain explains that, from December 13, all traders selling in the EU must ensure that any new products comply with GPSR requirements.
If not, they need to bring them into compliance with the new rules.
After this date, products that don’t comply could be withdrawn from the market. It’s possible that traders may also face sanctions.
The Federation of Small Businesses said earlier today that the GPSR regulations “will be a huge barrier to trade for many small businesses and exporters”.
The organisation said earlier this year: “The Federation of Small Businesses recommends that businesses with existing or potential interest in the EU market and Northern Ireland to check whether they will be subject to the new requirements under GSPR and make arrangements as necessary.
“If you sell via an online platform, they may have also been in touch to outline their requirements of GSPR.
“FSB continues to be very concerned about the difficulties faced by SMEs exporting into the EU under the terms of the UK/EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement. SMEs are particularly vulnerable to any additional costs incurred in the course of doing business.
“We continue to call on UK and EU Government to come together to resolve these growth-stunting trade barriers.”
Bookshops say they have been caught “off guard” by the change, The Bookseller reports.
Lewis Leathers, which says it is Britain’s oldest motorcycle clothing company, established in 1892, said on X: “We regret to announce that we have decided not to ship to the EU for the next few months.
“As you may know, the new EU GPSR system will be instituted on December the 13th, this means that all goods sold in the EU must be compliant with EU laws.”
Uk businesses will also have to cope with higher NI payments from April (Image: Getty)
The business added: “In order for us to be able to sell in the EU, we have to appoint an authorised Responsible Person (legal expert in these matters) based within the EU, and for us to do this we must find someone we can trust and are confident to work with.
“The process is new and we are actively looking for a partner but it will take some time for our products to be checked, be certified and for new labelling to be designed and created.
“Therefore, we have taken the regrettable decision not to ship any products to the EU after December 12th. Please check our website for updates and we hope to be back with you in early 2025.”
Award winning designer, art director and illustrator Olly Gibbs wrote: “I will be closing my shop at the end of the year to the EU market following the change in GPSR.
“A fantastic new law that screws over small UK businesses.”
Most Popular Comments