Trade Policy Advisory Group meeting: 25 October 2023

TPAG members and stakeholders:

• Andy Richardson (Food and Drink Board Wales)
• Catherine Smith (Hybu Cig Cymru)
• Gwyn Tudor (MediWales)
• Henry Clarke (RPD Law)
• Kerry Owens (Unite the Union)
• Dr Louisa Petchey (Public Health Wales)
• Prof Nick Pidgeon (Cardiff University)
• Paul Brooks (Institute of Export and International Trade)
• Richard Rumbelow (Make UK)
• Sarah Williams-Gardener (FinTech Wales)

The Welsh Government’s Head of Trade Policy provided an overview of the work to date regarding the UK government’s free trade agreements, including the negotiations that have concluded, those that have started and those about to commence. It was highlighted that the Welsh Government is engaging with the UK government and inputting into discussions on international trade policy and trade negotiations.

A Welsh Government official provided an update on the implementation and utilisation of FTAs through the committees established under each new FTA. The discussion covered:

• Priorities – how should Welsh Government engage with UK government on priority FTA committees.
• Monitoring – how should Welsh Government engage with UK government to monitor and evaluate developments in devolved areas.

A round table discussion followed focusing on the UK government’s negotiations with the GCC. The discussion covered:

• The balance between exporting opportunities with Wales’ values.
• Opportunities for Green Technology, both in terms of exporting and inward investment.
• The improvements required for customs processes and mobility for workers within the GCC.
• Exporting opportunities for Welsh meat and life sciences businesses.
• The importance of gender equality and labour rights.

A Welsh Government official presented a draft research paper on how FTAs could impact the UK and Wales’s ability to regulate. The key points:

• The Trade Policy team commissioned independent exploratory research with the key aim being to gather strategic information on how FTAs, and the underpinning international obligations created by them, may impact on Wales’s regulatory environment. This information will potentially aid and support other Welsh Government colleagues in considering their own policy areas.
• TPAG members were asked to note the final report and provide their views on how Wales could be better considered in the growing number of FTAs.
• A summary of the report will be published on the Welsh Government website in due course.

Dr Louisa Petchey, Public Health Wales, provided the group with an overview of Public Health Wales’s Health Impact Assessment of the UK’s accession to the CPTPP which was published on 11 July 2023.

The Welsh Government’s Head of Trade Policy closed the meeting by thanking attendees for their wide-raging contributions to discussions.