Progress to date: Beneficial Alignment
Beneficial Alignment, between the UK and EU is a key recommendation from Trading our Way to Prosperity: a Blueprint for Policymakers. The UKTBC is calling for the UK Government to adopt a general policy of regulatory alignment with EU standards and protections, where it is in the UK’s interests to do so.
Read the recommendation in full here.
To manage the policy of Beneficial Alignment, the UKTBC is also calling for the creation of a joint UK-EU Regulatory Cooperation Council - which would be able to help the UK and EU undertake a process of managed divergence where this is mutually agreed upon by both the UK and EU.
There has been growing support for this policy across businesses, think tanks and politics. The Labour party has signalled interest in the policy, and suggested that closer UK-EU ties are on the table if they win the next election.
Business is even more supportive, given that any policy which achieves the removal of non-tariff barriers to UK-EU trade through regulatory alignment would have significant benefits for businesses that import and export.
“There’s too much talk of tariffs, which whilst significant in some cases, are often far less of an issue than agreements on data, recognition of qualifications, and regulatory alignment. And it’s that deeper, more substantive, and more focused policy I want to move our trade strategy towards.”
“Develop a closer regulatory policy
relationship to ensure better co-ordination between the EU and UK, so that businesses do not face new trade barriers through passive regulatory divergence - without appropriate scrutiny and the ability to have their voices heard. ”
“Our research shows there is no appetite for deregulation post-Brexit. Regulatory divergence is both anti-worker and anti-business—so it should be no surprise that the public don’t want it. ”
“Maintaining an effective UK chemicals regulatory system is a priority for CHEM Trust. Our view is that the UK should align with EU controls on hazardous chemicals and related laws, to ensure that UK consumers and the environment can continue to benefit from the EU’s relatively high protections as they continue to improve. Analysis by CHEM Trust also suggests this would also provide a constructive basis on which to negotiate a close UK-EU partnership on chemicals that would provide access to ECHA’s chemical safety database. We are urging both sides to explore UK associate membership of or participation in the European Chemicals Agency in ongoing post-Brexit trade negotiations.”
“The EU is a major trading partner for the poultry meat industry so regulatory alignment is a positive thing. It reflects our own standards. In that, there is a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is how we continue to improve our regulations and standards without compromising that trading relationship. The opportunity is that we can work on being more outcome-based than process-driven, looking at whether we achieve the same outcome in a different way.”
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