Call for Evidence: Inquiry on COVID-19 Impact on International Trade

UK Parliament’s International Trade Committee has launched on 30 March an inquiry examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international trade, including how UK businesses, consumers and public authorities may be affected.

Committee Chair, Angus Brendan MacNeil MP, has also written to Elizabeth Truss MP, Secretary of State for International Trade, to seek further information on the Department for International Trade’s response to the pandemic.

The inquiry will inform the Committee on how the UK Government can support UK businesses trading internationally, facilitate trade in essential goods, and promote an internationally coordinated response.

We know that many of you are affected by the international disruptions and techUK will be responding to the call for submissions. We would like to kindly ask for your views on the questions below. The deadline for submitting your views is 17 April 2020. Please do send your responses to [email protected].

We look forward to receiving your views on some or all of the questions below:

• What impact will the global COVID-19 pandemic have on UK businesses trading internationally, in the short-, medium- and long-term?
• How effectively has the Government responded, both in the UK and in overseas posts, to the short-term negative impact of the pandemic on UK businesses trading internationally? What further steps could be taken to mitigate this impact?
• What medium- and long-term negative impacts could arise from the pandemic for UK businesses trading internationally? What steps could the Government take to mitigate these impacts?
• What steps can UK businesses take to mitigate the negative impacts of the pandemic on international trade?
• How best can the UK Government facilitate trade in essential goods during the pandemic?
• How should the Department for International Trade work with the rest of central government, as well as devolved, local and regional government, to deliver a coordinated response to the pandemic?
• How can the UK Government engage with countries at the World Trade Organization and bilateral trading partners – including those with which the UK has a significant trading relationship or one facilitating trade in priority goods – to promote international cooperation and a coordinated global response to the pandemic?
• How might the pandemic impact global trade patterns and international supply chains in the long-term?

Background information

The emergence and rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus has considerable implications for global trade. Pressurised supply chains and unusual patterns of demand from consumers and public bodies, combined with the potential for significantly reduced production, and restrictions on the circulation on goods, present uniquely challenging circumstances for businesses and governments around the world.

The Committee’s inquiry has been launched with the intention of examining the short-, medium-, and long-term impact of the pandemic on UK businesses trading internationally, and the Government’s response to trade. It will also consider the implications of steps taken by key UK trading partners, such as restrictions on the export of essential goods, and the actions the UK Government could take to promote international cooperation and a coordinated global response to the pandemic.

The International Trade Committee seeks to understand the impact of COVID-19 on international trade and what should be the UK Government’s response to support businesses, which operate internationally.

If you have any questions, please do get in touch with [email protected]