Lords EU Committee to take evidence from the auto, food and drink, and manufacturing industries on the UK-EU trade deal

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Which industries are or will be most affected by tariffs, and what can they do about it? How burdensome are the requirements for demonstrating compliance with the rules of origin? What are the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement’s effects on the auto industry?
These are among the questions the House of Lords EU Goods Sub-Committee will be asking a panel of witnesses on Monday 25 January 2021.
The session will be held remotely and streamed on Parliament TV.
At 10.30am the committee will hear from:

  • Alessandro Marongiu, International Trade Policy Manager at Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT)
  • Luke Hindlaugh, Senior EU and International Trade Executive at Food and Drink Federation (FDF)
  • Fergus McReynolds, Director of EU Affairs at Make UK.

Other questions the committee is likely to ask include:

  • What priorities should the UK seek to achieve in the Trade Specialised Committee on Customs Cooperation and Rules of Origin?
  • Food imported raw from third countries and processed in the UK does not qualify for tariff-free access to the EU market. What impact is this having?
  • Does the fact that some new EU controls already apply from 1 January, whereas UK checks are being phased in, create a risk that supply chains will be reoriented towards the EU and that UK exporters will face a long-term disadvantage?
  • The Agreement establishes the Trade Specialised Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade and encourages both parties to minimise regulatory divergence and promote the use of international standards. Are these measures likely to have the desired long-term effect of minimising divergence?