Making members’ voice heard above the noise on trade relations and the EU-UK reset.
The US is still very much the name of the game this month, with firms preparing for President Trump's reciprocal tariffs plan due on 2 April. CBI members have been clear: the uncertainty from the US and other geopolitical events makes strong relationships with the EU and other like-minded partners further afield more important than ever before for our economic growth, stability and resilience.
US-UK trade
The CBI's Europe and International Director, Sean McGuire, was in Washington D.C. in March with the CBI's Northern Ireland Chair Brian Donaldson. Coinciding with St Patrick's Day celebrations, where we joined events with Irish sister federation Ibec, we also had a number of bilateral meetings with USTR, US Senate Committees, US Chamber of Commerce (our US counterpart) as well as the British Embassy, including a St Patrick's Day Breakfast with the British Ambassador Lord Mandelson. With intense conversations going on between the US Administration and the British government to agree some form bilateral agreement in the near future, the CBI has been working closely with government at all levels to voice members' concerns about tariffs and to outline business priorities for any deals or trade arrangements.
EU-UK reset
The CBI's Regional Councils and thematic Committees have just concluded a round of discussions on business priorities for the EU-UK reset in advance of May's Summit. Key themes which emerged include the importance of progress on mobility, the complexities of regulatory divergence, and opportunities for climate and energy cooperation. One message came through particularly loud and clear: in the face of geopolitical instability and challenges to the rules-based order, the EU and UK must continue working together for our mutual benefit and economic growth. We will be preparing a pre-Summit position paper for government over the coming weeks, and encourage members to get in touch with Erin Henwood to share views.