Britain should not turn down the opportunity to join the EU’s Europe-Mediterranean deal - Yorkshire Post Letters
From: Jas Olak, vice chair, Leeds for Europe, Roundhay, Leeds.
Our Government has “no plans” to join the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention (Pan-Euro trade bid still on cards, TYP, January 24) / (Pan-Europe deal would not cross ‘red lines’ - No10, YEP, January 24). It should start making them - urgently.
PEM allows tariff-free trade of goods across Europe and parts of North Africa and the Mediterranean. At least EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds says it’s something the Government “could consider”; it doesn’t cross Labour’s ludicrous “red lines” preventing talks about joining the Single Market or European Union.
Leeds for Europe isn’t party political. But it’s safe to say many who backed Labour in the 2024 General Election are disappointed with how ill-prepared it’s proven to be for the government - and turning our country’s fortunes around. Former leader Lord Neil Kinnock is frustrated by a lack of genuine progress towards resetting European relations; “Drives you nuts”, he says.
Boris Johnson’s Government demonstrated with its post-Brexit Australia and New Zealand agreements that rushed trade negotiations are likely to be bad for any side desperate to push things through quickly. Our best trade deals are probably still rollovers carefully negotiated on our behalf by the EU.
At least PEM is an already existing ‘off-the-peg’ opportunity - not something that needs to be negotiated from scratch. Markets are much closer than those covered by the Tories’ trans-Pacific CPTPP agreement.
It should appeal to a Government flailing around for quick wins to boost our economy. Yorkshire firms would probably begin to benefit from PEM much more quickly than a new, third runway at London’s Heathrow that Chancellor and MP for Leeds West & Pudsey Rachel Reeves is reportedly keen on.
Time for Government ministers to stop driving Lord Kinnock and the rest of us “nuts” with their painfully slow progress towards improved European relations and better economic prospects for our region.