Excellent point from @DmitryOpines on the need for a greater period of reflection and debate before rushing into trade agreements (on @SkyNews)
Trade policy goals/ objectives on the domestic and international levels need to be consistent and aligned!
/1
Dmitry linked it nicely to the environment, agriculture and sustainability.
You can't expect a trade deal to deliver on certain promises if you're not backing it up with domestic policies that are aligned with these promises/objectives.
/2
The need for more analysis and reflection on what future FTAs are supposed to deliver (in a wider context) was also highlighted by @EmilyThornberry, @DavidHenigUK and most of Trade Twitter.
/3
Probably worth pointing out - this is in the UK's interest.
The point here is not to slow down "Global Britain" but to ensure that prospective FTAs offer the best possible terms for UK's producers, consumers etc.
/4
Also liked @danielmgmoylan's point about FTAs not being as transformative as they are often made out to be. That is true.
Although they can be for small groups of companies, industries etc, sensitive sectors, import-competing sectors etc - that's the whole problem.
5/5
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We talked about overlapping agreements - bilaterals vs the CPTPP. @Liam_Sm_Y_th made a good point - that it's the traders that bring these agreements to life.
So...
/2
Combining these two points - with the overlapping trade agreements it's going to be even more crucial to provide UK companies with a good source of reliable information on market access conditions and requirements under all existing deals.
/3
This is a truly historic day - I disagree with David (and @pmdfoster). And that doesn't happen often!
Customs and trade facilitation chapters in FTAs are quite generic. The actual, tangible cooperation and facilitation often occur informally, through a bilateral dialogue.
/1
for me, it’s not a question of how often the Customs Committee meets but the conversations that take place on a completely different level – customs administration to customs administration, officer to officer.
/2
There are two completely different levels here:
1⃣ customs, SPS and border formalities and requirements
Take it from someone who spends part of the time working on export promotion strategies in various countries around the world that “getting more of them to export” is not as easy as it sounds.
Having an FTA in place is step one. And it doesn’t mean very much without supporting policies. I wonder if (I hope) the Gov is well aware of this.
/2
In order to achieve any returns on this investment (negotiating and FTA) further, far less “sexy”, policies are required: i.e. around awareness, guidance, access to financing etc.
/3