Minister rules out UK joining pan-Europe trade agreement

A curate has ruled retired the UK joining a pan-European statement to bolster post-Brexit trade.

Matthew Pennycook said the Government was “not seeking” to enactment successful the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention (PEM).

Maros Sefcovic, the authoritative who led post-Brexit negotiations for the EU, had told the BBC that the UK joining the PEM is “something we could consider”.

The woody allows for tariff-free commercialized of goods crossed Europe, arsenic good arsenic immoderate North African and Levantine nations.

Asked if the UK could articulation the PEM, lodging curate Mr Pennycook said: “We’re not seeking to enactment successful that peculiar arrangement.”

He besides told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I deliberation successful wide the Government’s been precise clear… that we bash privation a person narration with our European partners, some successful trading presumption but also, importantly – and this speaks to your erstwhile conception – successful presumption of information and defence co-operation, wherever we request to enactment acold much closely.

“So absolutely, yes, we bash privation a person relationship. As for this peculiar arrangement: no, we’re not seeking to enactment successful it astatine the contiguous time.”

Some concern groups person backed the UK joining the PEM arsenic it would assistance to support analyzable proviso chains, but the erstwhile Conservative authorities chose not to prosecute it arsenic portion of a post-Brexit commercialized agreement.

Speaking to the BBC astatine the World Economic Forum successful Davos, Switzerland, Mr Sefcovic said the thought had not been “precisely formulated” and the “ball is successful the UK’s court”.

The UK Government has begun consulting businesses connected the benefits of PEM and however it could assistance chopped reddish portion and amended trade, the BBC said.

Mr Sefcovic besides told the broadcaster helium would similar to spot the anticipation of a full-scale veterinary statement betwixt the EU and UK reviewed.

If UK nutrient and workplace products were fixed azygous marketplace treatment, “we would person to person the aforesaid rules and we person to upgrade them astatine the aforesaid clip – we telephone it dynamic alignment”.

The deficiency of a veterinary statement aft Brexit has been a large sticking constituent for UK nutrient businesses hoping to export to Britain’s nearest neighbours.

Dame Emily Thornberry, chairwoman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, told the BBC the UK’s post-Brexit commercialized colony with the commercialized bloc had “all kinds of holes” successful it.

The Labour MP added: “Within that statement determination is simply a mechanics for improving it, and we request to prehend that opportunity, due to the fact that we request to marque definite that wrong the constraints of the ballot to permission the European Union, we nevertheless bash everything that we tin to get escaped of barriers to commercialized with our nearest neighbours and the radical who we commercialized with the most.”

The “uneven and difficult” concern with veterinary checks needed to beryllium resolved, she added.