Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent steps her Department has taken to increase the volume of trade between the UK and Côte d’Ivoire.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
Following extensive engagement, my Department has secured trade deals with Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Tunisia; plus the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) trade bloc; and the Southern Africa Custom Union and Mozambique (SACU+M).
Rwanda and The Gambia currently benefit from the our Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP), which provides Least Developed Countries with duty-free and quota-free access on all imports except arms and ammunition to the British market. HM Government intends to improve the scheme in order to grow trade with developing countries, supporting economic growth and jobs across the globe and at home. In coming weeks, we will hold a public consultation, to give exporters, businesses and other interested parties the opportunity to provide feedback.
Asked by: Lord Grocott (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel on 22 February (HL13173) and 9 March (HL13586), to list in the body of their answer which specific countries they have secured continuity trade agreements with since the UK’s departure from the EU.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
In addition to our deal with the EU, we have secured trade agreements with 66 non-EU countries, covering £890 billion of trade in total (2019 data). These are:
Albania;
Antigua and Barbuda;
Barbados;
The Bahamas;
Belize;
Botswana;
Cameroon;
Canada;
Colombia;
Côte d’Ivoire (The Ivory Coast);
Costa Rica;
Chile;
Dominica;
The Dominican Republic;
Ecuador;
Egypt;
El Salvador;
Eswatini (Swaziland);
The Faroe Islands;
Fiji;
Ghana;
Grenada;
Guyana;
Guatemala;
Georgia;
Honduras;
Iceland;
Israel;
Japan;
Jordan;
Jamaica;
Kenya;
Kosovo;
Lebanon;
Lesotho;
Liechtenstein;
Mexico;
Morocco;
Moldova;
Mozambique;
Mauritius;
Nicaragua;
Norway;
North Macedonia;
Namibia;
Peru;
Panama;
Papua New Guinea;
The Palestinian Authority;
Saint Lucia;
St. Vincent and the Grenadines;
Samoa;
The Solomon Islands;
St. Kitts and Nevis;
The Seychelles;
South Africa;
Switzerland;
Singapore;
South Korea;
Suriname;
Trinidad and Tobago;
Tunisia;
Turkey;
Ukraine;
Vietnam; and
Zimbabwe.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) economic, (2) humanitarian, and (3) political, situation in Cote d’Ivoire.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Côte d'Ivoire is one of the world's fastest growing economies, despite a slowdown in growth in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is listed as number 41 on the World Bank Index and its Annual Growth Rate was 6.2% in 2020. The UK Government is working with the Government of Côte d'Ivoire on the implementation of our Economic Partnership Agreement, signed in October 2020. The agreement will allow businesses to trade without any additional barriers or tariffs. The humanitarian situation in the country remains stable, but a large number of Ivoirians continue to live below the poverty line.
In October 2020, thousands of Ivoirian refugees crossed into neighbouring countries following violence around the presidential elections. The UK Government condemned the electoral violence and supported Ivoirians' right to demonstrate and protest peacefully. The Minister for Africa issued statements on 30 October and 5 November 2020 urging all parties to refrain from spreading disinformation, hate messages and inciting violence. Alongside international partners, we called for genuine political dialogue between all parties in order to resolve outstanding differences and ensure peace and stability for all Ivoirians. The legislative elections on 6 March are on track to take place in a more inclusive environment, with ongoing political dialogue and participation by opposition parties.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate her Department has made of the number of British companies that have paid tariffs on imports of goods from Ghana since 1 January 2021; what the value of those tariffs were; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
Since 1st January, Ghana has been eligible for preferential tariff rates under the United Kingdom’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) scheme. The collection of any tariffs is a matter for HM Revenue and Customs, but details of the GSP scheme and associated preferences are available at: gov.uk/government/publications/trading-with-developing-nations
Over a year ago, we proposed a deal to Ghana on the same terms as they have in force with the EU, which would have maintained their duty-free, quota-free access, but they chose not to take this take up. To put this in context, we reached agreements with 63 countries around the world on this basis, covering trade flows worth £217 billion in 2019. This included a deal with Côte d’Ivoire, a member of ECOWAS alongside Ghana.
On 31st December 2020, the United Kingdom and Ghana issued a joint Ministerial statement announcing that a consensus had been reached on the main elements of a trade agreement. Negotiations are progressing and, with willingness in Ghana, the agreement can be finalised and brought into force quickly, restoring tariff-free trade for Ghanaian exporters.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, for what reason annex III of the UK's trade agreement with Kenya does not contain the same references to the consequences of human rights abuses transposed from Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement that are included in annex III of the UK's trade agreement with Cote d'Ivoire.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
Annex III of the United Kingdom’s Economic Partnership Agreement with Kenya replicates language from the Cotonou Agreement and the effects of the Cotonou references in the EU’s Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the East African Community to make sure that upholding rights and responsibilities remain essential and fundamental elements of the agreement.
For both the agreements with Kenya and Côte D’Ivoire, the overall result is a replication of the effects of the Cotonou references in the existing EPA, so that appropriate measures can be taken in the event of a violation of these elements.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether provisions have been made on the protection of human rights in the UK-Cote d’Ivoire continuity trade agreement beyond those in the EU-Cote d’Ivoire Economic Partnership Agreement.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK-Côte d’Ivoire bilateral Agreement replicates, as far as possible, the effects of our existing Agreement with Côte d’Ivoire. It replicates the objectives that applied to the EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and confirms that the same essential and fundamental elements will underpin the UK EPA, including human rights, democratic principles, good governance and the rule of law.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether provisions have been made on the environment, climate change and sustainability in the UK-Cote d’Ivoire continuity trade agreement beyond those in the EU-Cote d’Ivoire Economic Partnership Agreement.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK-Côte d’Ivoire bilateral Agreement replicates, as far as possible, the effects of our existing Agreement with Côte d’Ivoire. It replicates the objectives that applied to the EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and confirms that the same essential and fundamental elements will underpin the UK EPA, including human rights, democratic principles, good governance and the rule of law.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether provisions have been made on the protection of workers’ rights and International Labour Organisation standards in the UK-Cote d’Ivoire continuity trade agreement beyond those in the EU-Cote d’Ivoire Economic Partnership Agreement.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK-Côte d’Ivoire bilateral Agreement replicates, as far as possible, the effects of our existing Agreement with Côte d’Ivoire. It replicates the objectives that applied to the EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and confirms that the same essential and fundamental elements will underpin the UK EPA, including human rights, democratic principles, good governance and the rule of law.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when her Department last held negotiations with the Government of Côte d’Ivoire on a potential trade agreement that would take effect when existing EU trade agreements no longer apply to the UK; and at what level those negotiations were held.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
HM Government has ambitious goals for British trade; our aim is to have 80% of United Kingdom trade with countries covered by free trade agreements within the next three years, starting with the USA, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Work to transition EU trade agreements contributes to this ambition.
To date, the United Kingdom has signed, or agreed in principle, 21 trade agreements, with 49 countries. This includes the United Kingdom–Japan Economic Partnership Agreement, which was agreed in principle on 11th September 2020. Our total trade with these countries was worth £142 billion in 2019.
We are continuing our work to replicate existing EU trade agreements with trading partners, to secure continuity for British businesses at the end of the transition period. Negotiations continue on the remaining trade continuity agreements in a way that reflects the reality of the current situation.
An up-to-date list of trade continuity agreements, signed and in discussion, is available on GOV.UK at: gov.uk/guidance/uk-trade-agreements-with-non-eu-countries
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions she has had with her Ivory Coast counterpart on a bilateral trade deal.
Answered by Conor Burns
We are continuing our programme to replicate the effects of existing EU trade agreements with trading partners to ensure continuity for UK businesses following the transition period. This includes the existing EU-Côte d’Ivoire Stepping Stone Economic Partnership Agreement and engagement is ongoing to replicate this agreement.