Between 1 June and 31 December 2013 the UK is to participate in a pilot scheme to provide “private VAT rulings” in relation to cross-border transactions. The other Member States participating are Belgium, Estonia, Spain, France, Cyprus, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Hungary, Netherlands, Portugal and Slovenia. Businesses planning cross-border transactions with one or more of these Member States can request a ruling on the VAT issues; however, the official news release states: “This consultation does not guarantee that a cross-border ruling, agreed by the Member States concerned, can be delivered.”