Future Trade Relations

Part of 5. Questions to the Minister for International Relations and Welsh Language – in the Senedd at 2:58 pm on 1 July 2020.

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Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 2:58, 1 July 2020

Well, just to be clear that we're not just starting the negotiations here. We have been discussing with the UK Government since February and March, feeding into what we think those negotiating mandates should look like, and I'm glad to say that we've actually had an influence there. So, the text has been amended, for example, in relation to the Japanese text, to make sure that there's a reaffirmation of those commitments to the UN framework convention on climate change and the Paris agreement. That wasn't there before; it's there now because we pushed that. So, we've already had an impact, I think, in terms of the negotiating mandate.

We are intensely aware of the very short time frame in which we are working. The Japanese Parliament—the National Diet—needs that to be in place by the end of September. So, they've made it clear they want an agreement, really, by the end of July. So, those negotiations are happening at pace. We get a briefing before the negotiations start, and in fact we're having a briefing with Greg Hands, the Minister, tomorrow, and we get an update after the negotiations happen. So, that is a rhythm that we are very comfortable with.