policy in action
Trade Policy Unit
The Trade Policy Unit (TPU), created in 2007, brings together the trade and development policies of the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). TPU continues the UK tradition of the past ten years of placing development at the centre of the UK policy-making on trade. It works to promote an open and fair global trading system and to support developing countries to trade, adjust and integrate successfully into the global economy.
Government Priorities on Trade and Development
The UK Government’s aim is global prosperity and security through open and fair markets.
Simply preserving current levels of openness is a significant challenge, given increased pressure to resort to protectionism. The UK Government’s priorities in the economic crisis are:
- To help keep markets open
- To prepare for the upturn
- To ensure trade continues to contribute to poverty-reduction
In order to keep markets open and working:
- We must secure international commitment to openness
- We need to deliver on G20 commitments to re-invigorate world trade.
- We also need to support UK businesses operating overseas by promoting guidelines and advice to benefit business and host economies
To maximise economic openness and fairness we need to work with the EU Trade Commissioner to ensure EU trade structures are effective and UK priorities are represented. Using Bilateral Investment Treaties we will improve overseas opportunities for business and ensure fair and robust global rules on intellectual property, competition, investment, and procurement.
Our contribution to poverty reduction will allow us to be a step closer to global prosperity. We will work with the EU, World Bank and other partners to improve delivery of our Aid for Trade programme at country, regional and global level. Using Fair Trade we will help secure greater benefits for poor producers and to promote the benefits of trade more broadly.
- Further information about the assistance available for traders from the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform can be found in the publication Trading in the Global Marketplace: How BERR Can Help http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file50559.pdf
- Read more about the UK support for Aid for Trade in Sharing the benefits of trade. The programme involves developed and developing countries collaborating to overcome the barriers which block poor countries from competing in the global marketplace Sharing the benefits of trade.pdf
- North South Corridor Pilot Aid for Trade Programme aims to reduce the time taken and, consequently, the costs of surface transport (road and rail). High costs (particularly for landlocked countries) and above average transit delays lead to lower production and trading levels which in turn limits the potential to raise GDP growth rates. http://www.northsouthcorridor.org/
- Businesses are currently being asked to respond to a consultation from SITPRO, the UK trade facilitation body, looking at the costs they incur complying with international trade regulations http://www.sitpro.org.uk/regreview/consultation.html
- Read about the plans from the Services Directive to make it easier for service providers to set up, or offer their services anywhere in the EU here
- A key part of the Services Directive being brought into UK law this year is about increasing consumers’ confidence to consider businesses from anywhere in the EU. Read about the requirements for businesses to fulfil here