Trade Policy Advisory Group meeting: 11 July 2022
Summary of the Trade Policy Advisory Group meeting held in person on 11 July 2022.
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Attendees
- Catherine Smith, Hybu Cig Cymru
- Charles Whitmore, Trade Justice Wales
- Henry Clarke, Acuity Law
- Paul Brooks, Institute of Export
- Prof. Nick Pidgeon, Cardiff University
- Richard Rumbelow, Made UK
- Shavanah Taj, TUC Cymru
Update on trade deals under negotiation by the UK government
Welsh Government’s Head of Trade Policy provided an update on the UK Government’s Free Trade Agreement “FTA” negotiations including Australia, New Zealand, CPTPP, Canada, Mexico, Gulf Cooperation Council and India.
Round table discussion on the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)
A round table discussion followed focusing on the UK Government’s negotiations to accede into the CPTPP. The discussions covered:
- impact of the Ukraine/Russia conflict on trading partners
- benefits of existing bilateral FTAs with CPTPP countries such as Australia, Japan and New Zealand compared to the benefits of multi-lateral CPTPP deal
- rules of origin arrangements and whether they are likely to benefit UK businesses
- the potential impact of CPTPP on workers
- the potential impact of Investor-state Dispute Settlement (ISDS)
- thoughts on the UK diverging from EU regulations, given the EU is Wales’s biggest exporting market
World Trade Organisation (WTO) notification process
Welsh Government’s Head of Trade Policy introduced the session by providing a brief overview of the WTO notification process.
The group discussed how to introduce training and raise awareness with businesses, especially SMEs, and organisations, on how to address and diagnose trade barriers.
Environmental Goods
Welsh Government’s Head of Industrial Goods introduced the session.
Discussion covered:
- defining an environmental good
- environmental services
- the particular strength of Welsh universities in environmental research
- potential examples of environmental goods in Wales
Update on the Trade Justice Wales Project
Charles Whitmore, research associate for the Wales Governance Centre and lead on the delivery of Trade Justice Wales Project, provided the group with an update on the project.
Trade Justice Wales is a pilot project run between the Wales Governance Centre and Wales Council for Voluntary Action’s joint work on engagement with civil society on the legal and administrative changes resulting from the UK’s withdrawal from the EU (The Wales Civil Society Forum) and Fair-Trade Wales.
Trade Justice Wales aims to address the knowledge and skills gap of Trade Policy by providing networking, knowledge sharing and providing training opportunities.