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Digital Trade Conference - Agenda |
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08:00 |
Welcome, Housekeeping & Opening Address
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08:10 |
Keynote Address
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08:20 |
Panel discussion – Australia/New Zealand/Singapore (in partnership with the Australian Government) The Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) between Chile, New Zealand and Singapore, signed in June 2020, is the first digital only trade agreement. The agreement itself is open for new members to join wholesale, or for them to opt into various modules in the agreement. These modules include a number of areas that have never before formed a part of a trade agreement, such as digital identities or digital inclusion. Following shortly after DEPA, Singapore went on to sign a further Digital Economy Agreement (DEA) with Australia in August 2020. The DEA goes further than any comparable bilateral digital chapter, including provisions not only in areas covered by CPTPP but also breaks new ground in areas such as creating a safe online environment, cooperation on competition policy, and clauses on submarine telecommunication cable systems. The agreement is notably also accompanied by a number of MoUs on digital economy topics. These include on data innovation, AI, trade facilitation and cooperation on digital identity, among others. Given the fast-moving nature of technology and the regulatory challenges that can arise from it, these additional MoUs provide a flexible and adaptive framework to advance the interests of both countries in cooperation with each other. This session will explore these innovative agreements and how like-minded countries can push the boundary of what trade agreements can do for the digital sector. It will also cover the ongoing trade negotiations between the UK and New Zealand, Australia and also soon, Singapore.
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09:15 |
Break |
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09:30 |
Keynote Address
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09:40 |
Panel discussion – Japan (in partnership with JEITA) In the UK-Japan CEPA, the two countries negotiated an admirably comprehensive e-commerce chapter by building on CPTPP and the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement. The structure closely follows the EU-Japan agreement but it goes beyond it in some areas. The new deal in particular leans heavily on clauses from CPTPP, that Japan is party to and that the UK has formally applied to join. These additions cover important areas, including on cross-border data flows, commitment to high standards of data protection, and provisions protecting source codes. It also incorporates some language from USMCA relating to open government data. In 2019, Japan has also signed a mini-trade deal with the United States, that encompasses a digital trade chapter. This session will explore these important developments over the past few years and how the UK and Japan can build on their bilateral relationship to promote an open digital trade agenda internationally.
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10:45 |
Break |
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11:00 |
Keynote Address
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11:10 |
Panel discussion – EU & WTO (in partnership with the European Services Forum) On Christmas Eve 2020, the EU and the UK have concluded negotiations on a Trade and Cooperation Agreement, including a comprehensive digital trade chapter. In Geneva, the Joint Statement negotiations are progressing towards producing a consolidated text in time for the next WTO Ministerial Conference in 2021, a timeline slowed down by the COVID-19 pandemic. The JSI is the only forum where it is going to be possible to reach an agreement between the USA, China and the EU, even if only on parts of the digital economy. This session will explore what lies ahead for multilateral cooperation on digital trade, as well as the next steps in the EU-UK relationship.
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12:15 |
Lunch Break |
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13:10 |
Welcome back and housekeeping
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13:15 |
Launch of techUK Blueprint for UK Digital Trade In January 2020, techUK has published A Vision for UK Digital Trade, outlining a core sent of principles for what makes good digital trade policy. Since then, the UK has signed innovative new agreements with Japan and the EU and elsewhere, digital-only agreements, such as DEPA and DEA, have set a new standard for modern, ambitious digital trade policy. In the same time, in a phenomenon enhanced by the COVID-19 pandemic, protectionist headwinds continue to pose threats to free and open cross-border trade. This new version of the techUK report builds on all these developments, provides extensive new context, a new set of principles and a broad new chapter on digital trade and the environment.
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| 13:30 |
Fireside chat
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14:00 |
Panel discussion – Where does the UK go from here
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15:00 |
Break |
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15:15 |
Keynote Address
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15:25 |
Panel discussion – USA/Canada (in partnership with ITI and TECHNATION) The UK and the US are engaged in negotiations on a free trade agreement. In the same time, UK and Canada have committed to negotiating a more bespoke trade agreement than the initial roll-over agreed last year. US, Canada and Mexico signed a free trade agreement in 2018 to replace the previous NAFTA. This session will explore what can be learnt from the digital trade provisions in the USMCA and how can the three countries work together to promote open and fair trade in multilateral fora.
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16:30 |
Conference Close
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