Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress he has made on a free trade deal with the United Arab Emirates.
Formal negotiations on free trade deals cannot begin until after the UK leaves the EU.
The UK’s engagement on the future trading relationship with the United Arab Emirates is being conducted through the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The greatest progress in UK-GCC trade liberalisation is likely to come from adopting an “agile” approach to trade policy, in the short-term. This will include exploring non-tariff measures, such as regulatory barriers to market access, that could help facilitate free-flowing trade. We have started to discuss this approach with the GCC.