The representative industry bodies for management consulting firms in European countries have united to call for open trade and easy movement of consultants between the EU and the UK after Brexit. They all put their names to a joint statement at a special meeting of their European federation that was held in Paris on Monday 16 October.
The consulting industry leaders specifically urge all governments across the EU, including the UK, to agree to:
- maintain at least the current levels of free and open trade in consulting services;
- maximise the ability of UK and EU27 nationals who are consultants to travel, live and work freely within the EU27 and UK;
- enable all European and British consulting firms to invest easily and establish offices throughout the UK and EU.
In their statement, the associations argue that Europe’s position as a global centre and powerhouse for consulting services is an important source of economic strength and innovation. The statement says: “A vibrant and expert consulting sector is a key component of a strong economy and healthy society.”
The industry associations also agree that the “ease of trade in consulting services throughout the EU and the free movement of people across our borders” have underpinned the industry’s ability to deliver the highest quality services for clients in recent decades. They say: “Where possible, we should reduce trade and tariff barriers, not add to them.”
Alan Leaman, Chief Executive of the MCA (Management Consultancies Association), the UK industry body for consulting firms, said: “UK consulting is recognised across Europe as a great asset. We can bring together talent and insight from across the continent, and this has greatly helped our clients around the world. Most importantly, we should now preserve the flexibility and speed with which consultants can currently move for work between the EU and the UK.
“It is now vital for the Brexit negotiations to focus on the win-win of open and flexible commercial and migration agreements.”
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Supported by:
Austria – WKO – Alfred Harl and Philip Graf
Denmark – Association of Danish Management Consulting Firms (ADMCF) Henrietta Soltoft
FEACO – Ezio Lattanzio
France – Consult'in France – Remi Legrand
Germany – BDU – Matthias Loebich
Greece – SESMA – Pantelis Koukos
Hungary – VTMSZ – Peter Csakvari
Italy – Assoconsult – Giovanni Benedetto
Portugal – APPC – Jose Pinho
Romania – AMCOR
Slovenia – AMCOS – Majda Dobravc and Viljenka Godina
Spain – AEC – Jordan Casals and Manuel Giralt
UK – Management Consultancies Association – Alan Leaman
-ENDS-
Media Contact:
George Tresnan, Marketing and Communications Manager at MCA on george.tresnan@mca.org.uk or 0207 645 7953
The Management Consultancies Association (MCA)
The MCA is the representative industry body for UK management consulting firms. The MCA's member companies comprise over 50 per cent of the UK consulting industry in fee income, employ around 45,000 consultants and work with over 90 of the top FTSE 100 companies and almost all parts of the public sector. All members adhere to the MCA Code of Practice that provides the consultancy buyer with reassurance that MCA firms maintain the highest standards.