The United States has walked away from the WTO Reform Package that almost got over the line at MC-14 in Yaoundé over the continued blockage of the e-commerce Moratorium.
The US has, alongside 19 other members, drawn up a plurinational Moratorium to act as a stopgap measure. The plurinational scheme has the support of members such as Australia, Japan and the UK.
Despite this setback, the WTO is moving on with the Reform Agenda, but a failure to agree on the e-commerce Moratorium remains a serious blow. techUK’s own Associate Director for International, Sabina Ciofu, was quoted in Reuters saying "If WTO members cannot maintain consensus around one of the longest-standing and most widely supported rules underpinning digital trade, serious questions will continue to grow about the organisation's relevance."
The UK Government meanwhile will continue to push for the WTO Reform Agenda and look to be upholding the e-commerce Moratorium.
The King’s Speech, the EU Reset and Dynamic Alignment
The nature of the UK-EU relationship has surfaced several times in the news this month as a result of the fallout from the local elections.
In his speech after the elections, Starmer promised to put the UK at ‘the heart of Europe’ with a youth mobility deal and with deals on food standards and carbon trading. The Government also announced a European Partnership Bill in the King’s Speech, which seeks to grant the Government powers to align UK regulations to those of the EU through secondary legislation.
Outside of Government, the current main hopefuls in the Labour leadership contest are taking their own stances on the EU. Wes Streeting has come out with a call for the UK to move back towards fully rejoining the bloc, while Andy Burnham has disavowed his previous support for rejoin as not a priority for any Burnham Ministry.
Whatever the Government’s policy towards the EU is by Christmas, what’s apparent is that the UK-EU relationship will remain a political issue in UK politics.
UK-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Deal
The UK announced it had signed an FTA with the Gulf Cooperation Council on 21 May, a bloc consisting of Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman. The deal is the first GCC trade deal with a G7 economy.
From a tech perspective, the deal is mostly focused on letting UK companies without a base compete on a more equal basis in GCC markets. However, while there are provisions in the deal banning data localisation requirements, the digital chapter includes no dispute resolution mechanism, limiting the utility of the deal for businesses.
The deal though does provide a solid basis for negotiating further with individual countries within the GCC. You can read our full insight on the GCC on our website.
Donald Trump goes to China
The US President has followed a well-trodden path by visiting Xi Jinping in China in May. But he wasn’t alone this time, as several CEOs joined him including Nvidia's Jensen Huang, Tim Cook of Apple, Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX and Dina Powell McCormick of Meta.
The talks did not lead to any major deals on extending the trade truce between the US and China, nor did it lead to any major agreement on tariffs. However, some progress was made in tech. In the list of agreements, the US has claimed China will work to ease concerns about critical mineral supply chains, while China claims the US will discuss reductions of reciprocal tariffs on products worth $30 Billion.
While none of this is really concrete, the fact the US President and Chinese Premier have managed to get on with one another sets the ground for further talks this year.
G7 Trade Minister Talks
It’s the turn of France to host the G7 in June, but trade ministers have been getting a head start with a meeting in Paris in early May.
The ministers issued a joint communiqué outlining their general concern toward economic coercion, forced tech transfers, the need for enhanced co-operation on critical minerals supply chains, and de minimis reforms around small packages. The communiqué highlighted the existence of a G7 small parcel taskforce to share policy approaches, which so far has revolved around jurisdictions such as the UK, EU and USA looking to abolishing de minimis limits.
We will see how these evolve at the G7 from 15-17 June in Paris.
techUK International Policy and Trade Programme activities
techUK supports members with their international trade plans and aspirations. We help members to understand market opportunities, tackle market access barriers, and build partnerships in their target market. Visit the programme page here.
Report: Next steps for UK-Ukraine cooperation in tech, trade and defence
techUK has published a new paper, Next steps for UK-Ukraine Cooperation in Tech, Trade and Defence, which sets out a practical agenda for deepening collaboration between the UK and Ukraine across defence-tech, innovation and digital trade.
Our members develop strong networks, build meaningful partnerships and grow their businesses as we all work together to create a thriving environment where industry, government and stakeholders come together to realise the positive outcomes tech can deliver.
Sabina Ciofu is International Policy and Strategy Lead at techUK, where she heads the International Policy and Trade Programme. Based in Brussels, she shapes global tech policy, digital trade, and regulatory cooperation across the EU, US, Canada, Asia-Pacific, and the Gulf region. She drives strategy, advocacy, and market opportunities for UK tech companies worldwide, ensuring their voice is heard in international policy debates.
With nearly a decade of previous experience as a Policy Advisor in the European Parliament, Sabina brings deep expertise in tech regulation, trade policy, and EU–US relations. Her work focuses on navigating and influencing the global digital economy to deliver real impact for members.
A passionate community-builder, Sabina co-founded Young Professionals in Digital Policy (800+ members) and now runs Old Professionals in Digital Policy (more experience, better wine, earlier nights). She is also the founder of the Gentlewomen’s Club, a network of 500+ women supporting each other with kindness.
She holds advisory roles with the UCL European Institute, Café Transatlantique (a network of women in transatlantic tech policy), and The Nine, Brussels’ first members-only club for women.
Recognised by ComputerWeekly as one of the most influential women in UK tech, Sabina is also a sought-after public speaker on tech, trade and diversity.
Sabina holds an MA in War Studies from King’s College London and a BA in Classics from the University of Cambridge.
Senior Policy Manager for International Policy and Trade, techUK
Daniel Clarke
Senior Policy Manager for International Policy and Trade, techUK
Dan joined techUK as a Policy Manager for International Policy and Trade in March 2023.
Before techUK, Dan worked for data and consulting company GlobalData as an analyst of tech and geopolitics. He has also worked in public affairs, political polling, and has written freelance for the New Statesman and Investment Monitor.
Dan has a degree in MSc International Public Policy from University College London, and a BA Geography degree from the University of Sussex.
Outside of work, Dan is a big fan of football, cooking, going to see live music, and reading about international affairs.
Theo joined techUK in 2024 as EU Policy Manager. Based in Brussels, he works on our EU policy and engagement.
Theo is an experienced policy adviser who has helped connect EU and non-EU decision makers.
Prior to techUK, Theo worked at the EU delegation to Australia, the Israeli trade mission to the EU, and the City of London Corporation’s Brussels office. In his role, Theo ensures that techUK members are well-informed about EU policy, its origins, and its implications, while also facilitating valuable input to Brussels-based decision-makers.
Theo holds and LLM in International and European law, and an MA in European Studies, both from the University of Amsterdam.
Archie Breare joined techUK in September 2022 as the Telecoms Programme intern, and moved into the Policy and Public Affairs team in February 2023.
Before starting at techUK, Archie was a student at the University of Cambridge, completing an undergraduate degree in History and a master's degree in Modern British History.
In his spare time, he likes to read, discuss current affairs, and to try and persuade himself to cycle more.
Tess joined techUK as an Policy and Public Affairs Team Assistant in November of 2024. In this role, she supports areas such as administration, member communications and media content.
Before joining the Team, she gained experience working as an Intern in both campaign support for MPs and Councilors during the 2024 Local and General Election, and working for the Casimir Pulaski Foundation on defence and international secuirty. She has worked for multiple charities, on issues such as the climate crisis, educational inequality and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). In 2023, Tess obtained her Bachelors of Arts in Politics and International Relations from the University of Nottingham.
Archie Breare joined techUK in September 2022 as the Telecoms Programme intern, and moved into the Policy and Public Affairs team in February 2023.
Before starting at techUK, Archie was a student at the University of Cambridge, completing an undergraduate degree in History and a master's degree in Modern British History.
In his spare time, he likes to read, discuss current affairs, and to try and persuade himself to cycle more.
