6. Statement by the Minister for Economy: Wales and Europe — Managing a new relationship

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:48 pm on 1 February 2022.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 4:48, 1 February 2022

I'm normally used to people hearing me when they shouldn't. [Laughter.]

Thank you for your good wishes for what I hope will be a swift recovery through COVID. I actually feel fine, it's just a bit frustrating, but we should all be following the rules. 

Look, on—. Just to start, you made a statement that trade is, of course, reserved, and it isn't—what is reserved is the ability to conclude new international arrangements—and you asked me a number of questions about what we're doing in the area of trade, including support on the export action plan. I'll be more than happy to bring a fuller statement for Members, whether in writing or otherwise, about what we're doing with the export action plan. The challenge is that, in concluding new agreements, those regularly do cross over into devolved areas. It's part of the reason why it's important for us to have a constructive working relationship with the UK Government, but also, from a business point of view, to be clear about how the different Governments in the UK should be working together. In this, we have established success through Business Wales and others where we help and support businesses to identify and secure export and future trade opportunities. We want to make sure that the picture is as uncomplicated as possible, and, on that, there have been some constructive conversations that the Member will be aware of from both committee scrutiny and our previous conversations.

On the ministerial forum for trade, I recently met other Ministers in that forum—Penny Mordaunt for the UK Government, and the relevant Ministers in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It was a constructive conversation, but most of the work going through that is largely about the rest of the world free trade agreements at present. We will have further discussions about Europe, but Liz Truss is the lead UK Minister on relationships with the European Union, and she obviously has work to do, given that Lord Frost left with that work being incomplete. So, she's leading on the protocol and more broadly on the impact that has on relationships with the European Union. It is still a challenge, and one where, as I said in my statement, I think we need a constructive tone that allows us to have answers, and not just for the island of Ireland, but that will have a direct bearing upon our wider trading relationships with the rest of the European Union, and the choice that the UK Government have made on the form of leaving the European Union and what means for our ability to then engage in a range of other areas.