The European Union’s new trade chief responsible for post-Brexit negotiations has told the BBC that a “pan-European [customs] area is something we could consider” as part of “reset” discussions between the UK and EU.Maros Sefcovic referred to the idea of the UK joining the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention (PEM). These are common rules that allow parts, ingredients and materials for manufacturing supply chains to be sourced from across dozens of countries in Europe and North Africa to be used in tariff-free trade.The Conservatives did not pursue PEM as part of its post-Brexit deal but some firms said it would help the UK rejoin complex supply chains that have been hit by customs barriers.Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mr Sefcovic said the idea has not been “precisely formulated” by London yet and the “ball is in the UK’s court”.The BBC understands that the UK government has begun consultations with business over the benefits of the PEM plan that could help cut red tape and improve trade.No final decision has been made yet.Mr Sefcovic also said that a full-scale veterinary agreement that helped reduce frictions on farm and food trade should also be reviewed.Single market treatment for UK food and farm exports would mean “we would have to have the same rules and we have to upgrade them at the same time, we call it dynamic alignment”, he told me.The EU-UK fisheries deal is also due to expire next year. “A solution for fisheries is very important for the EU, again, we communicated this on multiple occasions,” Mr Sefcovic said.He also said he was surprised …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnThe European Union’s new trade chief responsible for post-Brexit negotiations has told the BBC that a “pan-European [customs] area is something we could consider” as part of “reset” discussions between the UK and EU.Maros Sefcovic referred to the idea of the UK joining the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention (PEM). These are common rules that allow parts, ingredients and materials for manufacturing supply chains to be sourced from across dozens of countries in Europe and North Africa to be used in tariff-free trade.The Conservatives did not pursue PEM as part of its post-Brexit deal but some firms said it would help the UK rejoin complex supply chains that have been hit by customs barriers.Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mr Sefcovic said the idea has not been “precisely formulated” by London yet and the “ball is in the UK’s court”.The BBC understands that the UK government has begun consultations with business over the benefits of the PEM plan that could help cut red tape and improve trade.No final decision has been made yet.Mr Sefcovic also said that a full-scale veterinary agreement that helped reduce frictions on farm and food trade should also be reviewed.Single market treatment for UK food and farm exports would mean “we would have to have the same rules and we have to upgrade them at the same time, we call it dynamic alignment”, he told me.The EU-UK fisheries deal is also due to expire next year. “A solution for fisheries is very important for the EU, again, we communicated this on multiple occasions,” Mr Sefcovic said.He also said he was surprised …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
