Welsh Government's International Strategy

Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for International Relations and Welsh Language – in the Senedd at 3:01 pm on 5 February 2020.

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Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 3:01, 5 February 2020

Thank you. When we were trying to work out which sectors we should be promoting, we actually looked for ones that would be relatively Brexit proof, and the sectors that we chose were ones where we thought there would be a lesser impact as a result of us leaving the EU. So, we've deliberately thought through that as an approach.

But I think what we have got to watch out for is what that will look like in future. When we start to diverge, if we do diverge, then what will that mean in terms of access to the market and how that could impact on the sectors? We're in a different place now, and we've got to look at where the opportunities are for us as well. It may be that there is space for us in some of these technological areas in terms of creating the regulatory environment for autonomous vehicles or for cyber security; there may be some space there for us to maybe go faster and quicker than some of the continent, and that could give us an opportunity to race ahead. That, to a large extent, will be up to the UK Government, whether they grasp that opportunity.