News

The Secretary of State for Business, Vince Cable, has announced that SITPRO, the UK trade facilitation body, will be closed as part of the Coalition Government's efforts to reduce the number and cost of partner organisations. Whilst SITPRO are disappointed that this decision has been taken, their priority now is to make sure that  their key functions are transferred to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) with minimal disruption.

They have already begun a constructive dialogue with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and are working hard to ensure that key functions are transferred to the Department and that work which is fundamental to maintaining the competitiveness of UK business continues. BIS plan to continue to provide support in simplifying trade procedures and in the removal of trade barriers. They also plan to maintain the dialogue with the trade that SITPRO has established.

SITPRO would like to thank exporters for their engagement with their work over the last forty years to make international trade easier. Without your support, they could not have won recognition as the world's leading trade facilitation organisation and as a champion for the interests of business in the complex area of international trade regulations.

SITPRO hope that you will continue to support trade facilitation efforts in the UK in the future and look forward to further announcements about how this work will be take forward.