Global Tech & Trade Policy Update
Welcome to this week’s update on the fast-moving world of global trade, digital policy, and transatlantic relations. Here’s what’s shaping the global agenda right now.
Preparations for the EU-UK Summit ramp up
EU and UK officials have been moving backwards and forwards across the Channel ahead of the EU-UK Summit on 20 November.
From the EU side, the latest visit is from European Commission Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy Henna Virkkunen, who Politico reports is in London to discuss a potential digital partnership between the UK and EU. While here, Virkkunen will also meet AI Minister Kanishka Narayan MP and techUK’s CEO Julian David OBE.
The visit follows techUK’s intervention in Politico last week where, in a letter to the Prime Minister, we called on the UK to work with the EU to ensure the UK is included as a trusted partner under the Cloud and AI Development Act (CADA) and for the UK and EU to give each other reciprocal access to any procurement and digital sovereignty initiatives as part of a wider digital partnership agreement on tech trade.
You can read the full letter on our website. Members who wish to be kept updated on our work on CADA should join our EU Policy Working Group.
US midterm elections could cause Trump problems on trade
The Democrats seized control of the US House and Senate in the recent midterm elections. This will give House and Senate Democrats control of key committees for scrutinising the US Administration’s trade policy, and senior Democrats are already pledging to look into Trump’s tariffs with the goal of rescinding many of them and even repealing some of the laws they rely upon.
However, this does not mean a return to older US policies. Trump retains his presidential veto and will likely fight any attempts from the Hill to undermine his existing tariff policies, even if future tariffs will come under more severe scrutiny than past tariffs.
We will be updating members through our International Technology Policy and Trade Group on relevant US policy changes. For those wishing to explore market opportunities in the US, we will also be taking a delegation to SXSW in Austin in 2027. Those interested can find out more on our website.
EU-Canada Digital Trade Agreement
The Summit between the EU and Canada might not have produced agreement on associate membership, but the Leaders’ Summit in Montreal did see agreement on a Digital Trade Agreement. The Agreement aims to create predictable rules that facilitate digital commerce between the EU and Canada while signifying commitment to the closer relationship both sides are looking to build.
ASEAN Summit 15-17 November
The EU is not the only bloc hosting summits in November. ASEAN is hosting its leaders’ summit in the Philippines from 15 to 17 November.
The bloc is expected to unveil the text of the Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), which is likely to cover digital trade, cross-border e-commerce, data governance and privacy, digital identity systems, electronic payments, online safety, cybersecurity cooperation, competition policy, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and digital talent mobility.
techUK provided an overview of DEFA when it was announced earlier this year, and we will be analysing the text once it is published.
Burnham announces taskforces at the Commonwealth summit
As part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced two UK-led taskforces, one focused on critical mineral assets and vulnerabilities in Commonwealth supply chains and the other aimed at boosting trade and investment more widely across the Commonwealth.
As of now, there are few details of what these taskforces will cover beyond their titles. We will be pushing for digital trade to be included on behalf of members, especially as digital trade is a priority for many Commonwealth states.
BIST Parliamentary Committee releases two reports
The BIST committee has released two reports, one on UK trade policy towards China and one on protecting the UK’s critical mineral supply chains.
The China trade report, in which techUK International Lead Sabina Ciofu’s oral evidence to the committee is extensively cited, concludes that the UK government lacks a coherent and clear policy approach to China, and that this confusion is both exposing the UK to risks and preventing businesses from pursuing opportunities in areas where this would be beneficial.
The Critical Minerals report meanwhile sets out ten tests for ensuring the UK has secure critical minerals supplies, with the Committee criticising the UK’s overreliance on China. The report’s recommendations include encouraging domestic recycling and cutting energy costs to make UK production more competitive.
techUK Member Markets Survey
We will be conducting a survey asking our members which international markets are their main priorities going into 2027.
We are undertaking this survey to ensure our work continues to focus on the markets that matter to members.
If you are a member and would like to complete the brief survey, please email archie.breare@techuk.org.
Responsible Business Conduct Review outcome
The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) has published a ministerial statement confirming that it intends to legislate to "introduce a mandatory human rights due diligence regime across the UK for services, and in Great Britain for goods" following the Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) review. This will apply to large UK businesses with a £350 million turnover, and overseas businesses with a £350 million UK turnover, which is a much lower limit than the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).
Members wishing to know more and shape techUK’s response should contact elisabeth.sullivan@techUK.org
