FTA Business Consultation Event

1 Victoria Street14th July 2015

Context

Progress

•TiSA is now in its 2nd year of negotiations. The 13th round of negotiations took place in Geneva on 6 July. Included in the round was a ‘stock-take’ aimed at assessing current progress and agreeing / locking down the parameters of the negotiation. Going forward, no new proposals will be able to be tabled going forward.

•Progress is smooth with many sectors now becoming stable. The UK is especially pleased with recent developments in financial services and delivery services. •The agreement continues to attract new partners with Uruguay taking country membership to 24. Mauritius is likely to join shortly.•Following on from the stocktake, there will be pressure for all parties to improve their initial offers. UK will be lobbying hard – through our posts to encourage improved offers from countries we have a strategic interest in. •Likely conclusion date for negotiations is mid 2016.•Further input from industry, particularly on market access obstacles being faced in TISA countries is always welcome.

Next steps

Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA)

TTIP: (EU-US FTA)

Context

Progress

• Round 10 this week. G7 agreed to accelerate. • Could increase EU GDP by over £100bn

• Good technical progress, with UK strongly engaged on priorities• EU published concept paper on ISDS• US agreed Trade Promotion Authority• EU Parliament passed TTIP resolution

Next steps•Focus on reaching a deal in 2015• Continue positive messaging to allay concerns and stress the benefits

EU-Canada FTA

Context

Progress

• Negotiations concluded in September 2014. Most ambitious EU trade deal

• Expected £1.3bn to UK

• Legal and translation work is underway, expect implementation late 2016

Next steps• UKTI promotional work – report on

the opportunities end of 2015

Context

Key Issues• On 27 November 2014 the WTO General

Council agreed to take forward the TFA and other outcomes agreed in Bali

Next steps

WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and DDA round work

• Trade Facilitation Agreement agreed in Bali December 2013.

• UK could see up to £1bn annual GDP gains.

• Implementing the agreement could add £70 billion a year to global GDP.

• Move quickly on ratifying the TFA• Work on the other elements of the Bali package

paying particular attention to food security and to LDC issues

• take forward discussion on the post-Bali work programme for completing the DDA

WTO Green Goods

• Agree consensus list• Text of agreement with review mechanism • Agreement by COP21 and MC10

• Reducing tariffs on environmental goods • 17 WTO members• Building on APEC agreement

• 3 new members joined • 7th round of negotiations • Initial list of 650+ product lines

Context

Progress

Next steps

EU-Mercosur FTA

Context

Progress• Provided conditions for a successful

exchange are met, market access offers could be exchanged in November 2015.

• Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay are close to 90% tariff reductions. Waiting for Argentina to reach this level before an exchange of offers can take place.

Next steps• Technical meeting in September to

decide if conditions are met for an exchange of offers to take place

EU-Andean

Context

Progress

• Trade agreements in place with Peru and Colombia. Negotiations concluded for Ecuador to join the EU-Andean agreement in July 2014

• Peru and Colombia to approve Ecuador’s accession then text is sent to European Council for Signature and then European Parliament for approval

Next steps• Expect trade agreement with Ecuador to be in

force by mid- 2016 • UKTI research and promotional work underway

EU-Mexico FTA

Context

Progress

• EU and Mexico committed to a comprehensive and ambitious modernisation of the trade agreement

• Joint Vision Report finalised in June • Impact assessment due end of 2015• Commission to seek a mandate early 2016

Next steps• Businesses feed in priorities to UK Gov• Negotiations to be launched early-mid

2016 and could be concluded 2018

EU-Vietnam FTA

Context

Progress

• Progress is good; transhipment, 90% tariff elimination and an English web-portal for government tenders agreed in principle

•Tariff staging and market access barriers (pharma & spirits) remain key asks in particular•EU & MSs share priorities and remain positive

Next steps• 14th round scheduled for w/c 21st July 2015•Political agreement hoped for by end of July•Funding in place for UKTI promotion work

EU-Singapore FTA

Context

Progress

• Negotiations concluded in October 2014

•FTA referred to ECJ on 10th July 2015•UKTI due to identify, publish and promote UK FTA opportunities

Next steps• ECJ process due to take 18 months; FTA therefore delayed to late 2016/early 2017

Context

Progress

Next steps

EU-Thailand FTA

• Military coup in May 2014

• In the absence of a democratically elected government, the Commission has pulled away from FTA engagement

• Thai elections in 2016 may therefore be next opportunity for the EU to engage

EU-Indonesia CEPA

Context

Progress

• CEPA scoping started in 2012, but Indonesia ultimately did not respond and instead pursued self-sufficiency and protectionism• At the annual EU-ASEAN dialogue in April 2015, Indonesia expressed renewed desire to negotiate a CEPA

Next steps• Commission has agreed to discuss the

prospect at the annual EU-Indonesia dialogue in September 2015

EU-Malaysia FTA

Context

Progress

•Seven negotiating rounds before suspension in 2013, for Malaysian elections•TPP near conclusion

• EEAS suggested in June 2015 that Malaysia is likely to reengage towards the end of the year, as originally planned

Next steps• Should initial scoping talks proceed in

2015, the EEAS say there is potential for a formal round in early 2016

Context

Progress

Next steps

Other ASEAN FTAs

•EU-ASEAN FTA remains long-term goal, and it is at this point that other ASEAN nations will most likely be brought into the picture

• Exception is the EU-Burma investment agreement, which is a stepping stone towards a potential FTA in the future

• Negotiations on EU-Burma investment agreement to continue

EU-Japan FTA

Context

Progress

•Impact Assessment: +€42bn for EU•Tackling NTBs key to benefits for EU•May’s EU-Japan summit reiterated desire to reach agreement by end 2015

•11th round took place from 6-10 July•Steady progress by Japanese on NTBs in key sectors

Next steps

•12th Round (expected September)•Continued progress on NTBs•Exchanges on key sensitive tariff lines

EU-India FTA

Context

Progress

• Negotiations stalled in 2013• Modi’s pro business sense gives

us hope for progress

• Domestic reforms and new initiatives should help India be more flexible in negotiations

Next steps• Lord Maude to visit India in September• Modi to visit UK in November • EU-India Summit in November

EU-China Investment

Context

Progress

•Concerns over market access, state-owned enterprises, and IP protection • Focused UK engagement with China•Low levels of EU investment in China

Next steps• Support EU in negotiations•Explore steps towards a future EU-China FTA

• Proposed Chinese and Commission texts have been fully discussed and Cion/China about to enter next phase of active negotiation in September.•Resolution of anti-dumping telecoms case

Eastern Partnership

Context

Progress

• More political / stability-related• Small immediate economic impact for UK

• EU-Armenia Framework Agreement negotiating directive discussions ongoing•EU-Kazakhstan Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement awaiting provisional application

Next steps•Work towards implementation of Ukraine DCFTA - on course to be implemented from 1 Jan 2016 •EU-Armenia Framework Agreement negotiations

EU-ACP EPAs

Context

Progress

Next steps

• Development friendly regional trade deals• Aim to promote trade with ACP states • Negotiations ongoing over last 10 years

• West, Southern, and East Africa concluded• West Africa: Majority of signatures secured• Southern, East: legal scrubbing, translation

• Complete West African signatures• Southern and East ready for end of year• Implementation and negotiations elsewhere

GSP Trade Preferences

Context

Progress

• Opportunities for UK importers• Generous tariff reductions available for

imports from developing countries to the EU

• GSP granted to 90 countries (49 LDCs)• China, Thailand, Ecuador, Maldives removed• GSP+ granted to 13 applicants

Next steps• GSP+ assessment report at end of year• More GSP countries to be removed 1 Jan 2017• New thresholds for 2017 to be published