Brexit and the Distribution Sector

In much of the analysis to date of the effects of Brexit on economies, far more attention has been paid to the effect on exports than on imports. While it is true that the UK is an important market for Irish goods, the UK is also an even more important supplier of imported goods. Any changes resulting from Brexit, which impose tariffs on imports from the UK, will be damaging for the Irish economy. Even more serious may be the impact of non-tariff barriers, which interfere with this vital channel of inputs for the Irish economy.

In this new IIEA paper, the third in the Brexit Sectoral Report series, Professor John FitzGerald, TCD, and Professor Edgar Morgenroth, consider the impact of Brexit on imports of materials to be used as an input in Irish business, as well as its impact on imports of consumer goods.