The newly appointed Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan unveils five-point plan for international digital trade
The five-point plan includes proposals to facilitate more open digital markets, advocate free and trusted cross-border data flows, support consumer and business safeguards, promote the development and adoption of innovative digital trading systems and establish global cooperation on digital trade.
With recent research showing the UK has benefited thanks to the rise of digital trade with over 67% of service exports worth £190.3 billion being digitally delivered, advanced digital trade policy and UK leadership will be needed in order to continue this trend and aid the UK economy as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many businesses currently face barriers that restrict their ability to benefit from digital technology, such as paperless trading, or force them to meet unjustified requirements to localise data or disclose their intellectual properties such as source code.
techUK's ‘A blueprint for UK Digital Trade' outlines the key policy areas where the UK can lead in the field of digital trade internationally, such as the development of AI through enabling open government data and text and data mining while respecting intellectual property rights, working towards internationally interoperable digital identities and cooperation on the regulation of AI, fintech and other emerging technologies. Early UK trade deals since leaving the EU, in particular the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), have recognised the importance of digital trade and established that the UK is serious about an ambitious digital trade policy. However, as the pandemic continues to accelerate digitisation across all sectors of society and the economy, further action is needed.
Under the five-point plan, Department for International Trade will:
- Facilitate more open digital markets to ensure British consumers and businesses benefit from greater access to digital markets in other countries.
- Advocate free and trusted cross-border data flows that will make it simpler and cheaper for businesses who use data to trade internationally while maintaining the UK's high standards for personal data protection.
- Champion consumer and business safeguards through enhanced consumer and intellectual property protections.
- Promote the development and adoption of innovative digital trading systems such as digital customs processes, e-contracting and paperless trading, which can cut red tape and make trade easier, cheaper, faster, and more secure.
Sabina Ciofu
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.
