UK's Trade Commissioner for Europe Andrew Mitchell started a visit to Bucharest

The UK is for  Romania the 6th partner among the EU member states in terms of total trade in goods.  For export, the UK is the 5th country among the Romanian export destination markets and among partner countries  for import it ranks the 13th. 

In 2017 there was registered a new record in the history of bilateral relations, bilateral trade reached 4.25 billion euros, of which exports of  2.56 billion euros and imports of 1.69 billion euros. 

 In the first seven months of 2018, bilateral trade recorded a total value of 2.72 billion euros, of which exports 1.72 billion euros - an increase of 13.86% over the same period in 2017 and 996 million euros for imports - an increase of 3.18%. The trade balance remains in surplus, with a positive balance of EUR 727.75 million. 

The bilateral trade flows are dominated by products with a high degree of processing. The main products exported are machinery, electrical equipment and parts thereof; vehicles, aircraft, vessels and associated transport equipment; textiles and clothing; base metals and articles of base metal; plastics and plastic articles, rubber and rubber products; food; and miscellaneous goods (mostly furniture). 

And in terms of investment  the UK is an important partner for Romania, currently ranking the 12th  with direct investment of about 1 billion euros.

In bilateral terms, Romania and the UK should be ambitious of their future after Brexit, UK's Trade Commissioner for Europe Andrew Mitchell told Agerpres in a recent interview.

He also talked about the current agreement between the UK and the European Union on UK's withdrawal from the EU unveiled last week, as well as about the relationship between the UK and Romania.

"UK exports to Romania grew by nearly 20 percent over the course of 18 months up to the start of this year and we are on track still to continue that race of growth, slightly under that rate of growth, but nonetheless a very strong growth this year too. I think that represents actually confidence bilaterally in trade agreements and trade relationships between our countries," he said.

In Bucharest on Monday, Mitchell met Romanian officials, including Deputy Prime Minister for the Implementation of Romania's Strategic Partnerships Ana Birchall.

AGERPRES: You were appointed Her Majesty's trade commissioner in July this year. Could you talk a little bit about the cornerstones regarding the Brexit negotiations within your mandate, regarding the topic that you are covering?

Andrew Mitchell: Absolutely. I first say what a privilege it is in fact to be Her majesty's Trade commissioner for Europe. The Europe trade commissioner role is that part of the British government that is responsible for our trade and investment relationships with the 43 countries and states on the continent of Europe, and the fact that it is the continent of Europe, and not simply the European Union that I am responsible for is to do with the fact that our aspirations for trade and investment with Europe span the continent and we see a very bright future for that relationship.

Last year we did 303 billion in pounds worth of export trade with those countries in Europe, which was 49 percent of our exports and similarly 49 percent of investment came from those markets. So, Europe is very important for us as a in terms of trade, culturally, politically, economically going forward, from every conceivable perspective.

One shouldn't, I think, confuse the fact that we are leaving the European Union with the importance that we see going forward for European trade. So I say to you, since I was appointed three months ago, what's most important, I think, from our perspective is maintaining the bases of free market, open trade and frictionless trade across the European Union and with the future economic policy very much in mind our focus is on ensuring the closest, the best possible trade relationship with our European partners post Brexit.

AGERPRES: The current withdrawal agreement that was made public is actually talking about a free trade area between the UK and the EU. How realistic is this envisioning of a free trade area between the EU and the UK, because that's one of the main points that is being discussed within Brexit?

Andrew Mitchell: Absolutely. Over the bases on which we have built our proposals and the agreement that we have come to in principle with the European partners is on the basis of frictionless trade in goods and agri-foods with a common rulebook which will then establish the bases for a continuing close trade relationship in goods between Europe and the United Kingdom.

And this is in no sense complicated from the perspective of the fact that we start in the same place; we are currently member of the same single market and customs union, and in that sense that economic partnership is unique; it's unique because we begin from the same standpoint, we have the same standards, we operate the same regulation - broadly speaking our markets are very integrated.

So, it is entirely legitimate and entirely possible to have that very deeply integrated market for goods and agri-foods across Europe, and that's very much the intention behind the future economic partnership agreement that we would like to negotiate we completed the withdrawal agreement.

AGERPRES: And also the withdrawal agreement is talking about non-discrimination, but Brexit people voted to leave because they wanted Britain to be first. How will these two aspects meet?

Andrew Mitchell: Well, non-discrimination, in the sense of an aspiration of a high level of standards is entirely natural, and I don't think anybody should think that we are leaving the European Union because we want to lower our standards. I know there's been some discussion of an economic model for Britain that involves low taxes and lower standards than the remainder of the European continent.

I don't detect any aspiration amongst British people who voted to leave the European Union to use this as a vehicle for lowering standards. Absolutely, we have the highest possible aspirations, and, indeed our markets and our economy works very much on the basis that we produce very high quality goods and services.

We believe they are competitive in global markets on the basis that they are of a very high qualities. So, I don't see any aspiration towards lower standards.

AGERPRES: There is a lot of tension around the withdrawal, the current withdrawal agreement. What do you consider that are the main aspects that should not be given up on from this withdrawal agreement, when it comes to the final withdrawal agreement?

Andrew Mitchell: Well, the withdrawal agreement is negotiated in such a way to ensure alongside the political agreement that sits on top of it, is negotiated to ensure absolutely frictionless trade in goods and agri-foods within the continent alongside integrated agreements around services, and also regulation and the supervision elements around standards.

That, in a sense, is part of an integrated package that makes for a competitive trade relationship between the United Kingdom and Europe. And I don't see how you can take elements of that away without damaging the whole of that agreement. In a sense, we need to be able to trade effectively across borders, and the fact that it is goods and agri-foods that are subject to the common rulebook and that single market for goods is effectively associated to the fact that supply and demand chains in Europe are so highly integrated and these engines that are built in and shipped to be assembled as cars here in Romania is very good example of the reasons why it makes sense to have that agreement.

But similarly on standards, we are clearly an economy that thrives on the bases of exports of services, particularly we want to make sure that we observe the highest possible standards and actually develop and strengthen our international markets for services going forward.

Part of the reasons why therefore we have a different approach on services is that we see opportunities in the wider world to be able to create free trade agreements on the bases of those highly competitive services. But, in a sense, this is a package; it's a bundle. I think that the integrity of that package is very important, and therefore we will be working to make sure that the package has economic and commercial, trade element together.

AGERPRES: And because you are here in Romania, could you talk about the way the trade between the UK and Romania fluctuated after Brexit and also the key points in which the UK wants to invest in Romania. Are there key fields in which the UK wants to invest here in Romania?

Andrew Mitchell: I think it's interesting to note that Britain's trade with Romania grew in fact: UK exports to Romania grew by nearly 20 percent over the course of 18 months up to the start of this year and we are on track still to continue that race of growth, slightly under that rate of growth, but nonetheless a very strong growth this year too. I think that represents actually confidence bilaterally in trade agreements and trade relationships between our countries. I think as far as Britain is concerned, it's the 12th largest investor in the Romanian market.

We think that frankly is a market that we believe we can see growth. Major investment recently by LSE, the London Stock Exchange, and by Liberty House in the steel market here gives you a good indication of the kinds of areas that we think could be areas of growth in terms of UK investment in Romania in the future.

Energy is also extremely important to us, we think infrastructure, and the health sector are opportunities too. I think if you look at what is happening in places like Cluj, around the tech sector clearly with Britain's big strengths in innovation in particular, I think there are real prospects.

We are satisfied with the relationship that we have today but we genuinely believe that there is more we can do. We want to create, as we leave the European Union, in the single market and the customs union the kind of basis for our relationship going forward that allows bilateral trade to thrive. So, this is not the end of something, this is the beginning of something. I think Romania and the UK should be ambitious of their future.

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Andrew Mitchell was appointed Her Majesty's Trade Commissioner for Europe in July 2018.

Mitchell has a 25 years' experience leading organisations in both the public and private sector in the UK and overseas. Most recently he was the director of a British creative and communications agency with clients among Olympic bid cities and major Games hosts.

He has previously held leadership positions in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office including as lead director for economic and trade issues and spent four years as HM Ambassador to Sweden.

HMTC for Europe cooperates closely with HM ambassadors and high commissioners, the wider diplomatic network, and other HM Government colleagues based in countries in their region, in a joined-up and coordinated government effort overseas to promote UK trade and prosperity, according to the gov.uk website. 

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