Canada–United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement

The Canada–United Kingdom free trade agreement (CUKFTA) is a proposed free trade agreement which began negotiations on 24 March 2022.[1] The trade agreement will be the third FTA to cover Canada–UK trade, and will supersede the Canada–United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement, extending the deal to cover services and digital trade.[2]

Canada–United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement
  Canada
  United Kingdom
TypeFree trade agreement
ContextTrade agreement between Canada and the United Kingdom
Negotiators
Parties
Languages

History edit

From 21 September 2017 until 30 December 2020, trade between Canada and the UK was governed by the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, while the United Kingdom was a member of the European Union.[3] Following the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, the UK and Canada signed a continuity trade agreement on 22 December 2020, based on the EU free trade agreement; the agreement entered into force on 1 January 2021.[4][5] Trade value between Canada and the United Kingdom was worth £26,309 million in 2022.[6]

While a member of the European Union, the Canada and Britain worked together on negotiations towards a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union.[7] The agreement has been ratified by the European Parliament and is provisionally in force since 2017.[8]

The UK left the European Union at the end of January 2020, but continued to participate in the EU's trade agreements during a transition period that ended on 31 December 2020. In November 2020, the UK and Canada signed a continuity agreement in order to apply the terms of the EU-CA agreement to their bilateral trade.[9] In March 2023, the UK concluded negotiations to acceed to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership a trade bloc of which Canada is a founding member.[10]

Negotiations edit

CUKFTA Round of Negotiations
Round Dates Location Ref.
1 28 March–1 April 2022 London [11]
2 20–24 June 2022 Ottawa [12]
3 12–16 September 2022 Virtual meeting [13]
4 28 November–2 December 2022 Ottawa [14]
5 20–24 March 2023 London [15]
6 26–30 June 2023 Ottawa [16]
7 5–16 November 2023 Virtual meeting [17]
8 27 November–1 December 2023 Virtual meeting [18]

On 25 January 2024, the United Kingdom suspended negotiations for the free trade agreement due to a standoff between the two sides on the UK maintaining market access barriers for Canada’s agriculture industry.[19][20][21] This was the first, and sole, time that the United Kingdom has suspended negotiations for a trade deal since Brexit.[22]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Trevelyan, Anne-Marie (24 March 2022). "UK launches negotiations with Canada on a new, modernised trade deal". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  2. ^ Ng, Mary (28 April 2023). "Free-trade deal between Canada and Britain will set a new benchmark". The Times. Archived from the original on 28 April 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  3. ^ "EU - Canada". World Trade Organization. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  4. ^ Johnson, Boris; Truss, Liz (22 November 2020). "UK secures vital rollover trade deal with Canada and agrees to start negotiating more advanced deal next year". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 21 November 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  5. ^ Cameron-Chileshe, Jasmine (21 November 2020). "UK and Canada seal rollover trade deal". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 21 November 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  6. ^ "UK trade agreements in effect". GOV.UK. 3 November 2022. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  7. ^ Fox, Liam (10 December 2018). "UK trade with Canada up 14% since new free trade agreement introduced". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Commercial and Economic Relations". Government of Canada. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  9. ^ Mattha Busby (21 November 2020). "UK and Canada to trade on EU terms after Brexit transition". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 21 November 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  10. ^ "'A significant milestone for UK trade': Britain signs deal to join £12trn Indo-Pacific trading block". Sky News. 16 July 2023. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  11. ^ Trevelyan, Anne-Marie (20 December 2022). "Canada Trade Negotiations". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  12. ^ Trevelyan, Anne-Marie (19 July 2022). "Canada Trade Negotiations: Update". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  13. ^ Badenoch, Kemi (23 September 2022). "Trade Negotiations with Israel and Canada". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  14. ^ Badenoch, Kemi (20 December 2022). "Trade Negotiations Update". UK Parliament. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  15. ^ Badenoch, Kemi (17 April 2023). "Canada Trade Negotiations: Update". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 18 July 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  16. ^ Badenoch, Kemi (20 July 2023). "Departmental Update". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  17. ^ Huddleston, Nigel (17 October 2023). "UK Trade Negotiations: Switzerland and Canada". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  18. ^ Hands, Gregg (14 December 2023). "Trade Negotiations: Canada and Switzerland". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  19. ^ Goshko, Susannah [@SusannahGoshko] (25 January 2024). "A statement from the UK Government on our decision to pause Free Trade Negotiations with Canada" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024 – via Twitter.
  20. ^ Tasker, John Paul; McGregor, Janyce (25 January 2024). "U.K. walks away from trade talks with Canada". CBC News. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  21. ^ "UK Breaks Off Free Trade Talks With Canada on Lack of Progress". Bloomberg. 25 January 2024. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  22. ^ Foster, Peter; Uddin, Rafe; Campbell, Peter (26 January 2024). "UK halts talks with Canada on post-Brexit trade deal". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.

External links edit

  Media related to Relations of Canada and the United Kingdom at Wikimedia Commons