IoD: New global digital trade agreement will remove barriers to trade

The IoD welcomes the announcement of the E-Commerce Joint Initiative at the World Trade Organisation.

Responding to the new Joint Initiative, IoD Trade Policy Advisor Emma Rowland said:

“This agreement will facilitate an easier trading environment for UK businesses.

“Businesses consistently highlight friction at the border, specifically paperwork and time taken for checks, as being the biggest challenge to trade. Digitising customs processes will remove inefficient and unnecessary barriers, particularly for smaller businesses disincentivised from importing and exporting by complex administration.

“With 90 countries on board, digital transformations under the initiative will ramp up the modernisation of global business, enabling cross-border transactions to feel more seamless.”