Select committee: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee
Recommendation 11
6th Report – How to strengthen UK-EU relations: Policy Priorities for the Summit
Published 15 May 2025
Addressed to Department for Business and Trade
Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee Export led growth All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
We recommend that the Government consults with the business community, unions, workers and consumer groups and identifies sectors of the economy where, over the next ten years, there could be mutual gains from maximising compatible regulation with the EU. This should include an assessment of the flexibilities the UK might need to maintain membership of existing trade deals like CPTPP, and to agree the free trade deals currently under negotiation with Switzerland and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Where there is significant mutual gain from compatible regulation with the EU, the Government should commit to a regulatory roadmap that maintains compatible regulations with the EU. It should also seek, where beneficial for both parties, mutual recognition of conformity assessments. (Recommendation, Paragraph 54)
From: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee, 6th Report – How to strengthen UK-EU relations: Policy Priorities for the Summit (HC 908), 15 May 2025
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 5 September 2025 (deadline 15 July 2025).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response points to the outcomes of the UK-EU Summit on 19 May as its main answer to the Committee, and states that further technical negotiations are required to implement the commitments.
- On the SPS agreement, the government says it agreed "the broad parameters" at the Summit, will "start talks straight away", and that implementing the agreement "will require primary legislation".
- On mutual recognition of conformity assessments, the government "notes" the suggestion and says the Summit outcomes "did not include a commitment to negotiate MRAs", while remaining committed to tackling trade barriers.
- On the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention, the government says only that the UK "will now engage business and Pan-Euro-Mediterranean (PEM) members to consider the benefits" of joining.
- On research, the government says the UK "is interested in potentially associating to FP10, assuming it is open, relevant and provides good value" for researchers and taxpayers.