BREAKING UP IS NEVER EASY – BREXIT
It has been quite a week for British politics and an interesting one for Irish companies trading with Britain. There has been a lot of upheaval and uncertainty underlying businesses in the wake of the shocking ‘Brexit’ result which saw Britain historically vote to leave the European Union with an incredibly close vote of 52% leave to 48% stay. The instant panic saw stock markets begin a struggle which continues to attempt to right themselves during a turbulent couple of weeks, while the value of the pound itself instantly plummeted. We spoke recently about what this event could mean for Ireland, and considering the news of this is unlikely to filter out any time soon, it is a topic we will all be following with interest.
Amidst the panic, as previously discussed there will be some new opportunities for Ireland to harness off the back of this move, and it is also important to bear in mind that although there will be many far reaching consequences, commerce – like Celine Dion’s heart, will go on. Despite the UK accounting for almost half of Irish exports, there may be a silver lining for Irish markets. On the positive side, despite early turbulence, world stock markets have proven rather resilient and have recovered well this week, despite the continuing weakness of Sterling.
The entire Brexit process is sure to be a lengthy one, particularly in the aftermath of David Cameron’s departure, and it will remain to be seen what this may mean for other members of the European Union. On our own end, growth and activity in Ireland’s services sector slowed by 0.5% in June according to Investec’s Purchasing Manager Index, showing a new push towards caution ahead of the Brexit vote.
Whilst the future and coming negotiations between Britain and the EU will be crucial to Irish interests, we will be reliant on the EU side to maintain the best interests of Ireland. This puts us in an interesting position as much of our business is reliant on the UK. It is hoped that in particular, the Common Travel Area agreement that is in place between the UK and Ireland remains in place as new borders would cause chaos for Irish people working in the UK, as well as making our trade routes increasingly difficult.
It will certainly be a long road of uncertainty ahead for Irish and British businesses, but there is still hope on the horizon and whilst business may not resume as normal for all, new pathways will be forged in the wake of Brexit.
As always if you require any guidance, advice or assistance with your own business or financial matters please don’t hesitate to contact us here at DCA Accountants, let us be the one constant for your business in this time of change.
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~ DCA PARTNERS, DECLAN DOLAN & EAMONN GARVEY
