Brussels, 16th January 2019 - Following yesterday’s vote in the UK Parliament, business continues to lack clarity about the state of play after 29 March 2019, which means that companies cannot make decisions on production, investments and employment.  Marco Mensink, Director General of Cefic, said: “We can’t stress this enough, because having certainty on the arrangements between the EU and the UK is critical to avoid serious supply chain disruptions. We continue to ask for a solution to be found, and hope that a ‘no-deal Brexit’ can still be avoided.”  From the onset of the Brexit negotiations, the chemical industry on both sides of the Channel has been calling for an agreement that would keep frictionless tariff-free trade in chemicals, ensure regulatory consistency between the UK and EU-27 and enable access to skilled people to continue with the sector’s R&D programmes.  Cefic has cooperated closely and continues to work with its UK member, the Chemical Industries Association (CIA) and the UK based companies to inform policymakers about our position.