BCC director general looks toward deeper Atlantic partnership to boost trade
The British Chambers of Commerce director general will urge UK and US governments to be laser focused on supporting business in a speech on the future of Atlantic trade.
Shevaun Haviland will be a keynote speaker at the first session of the US/UK Dialogues taking place in the UK aimed at improving trade between the two countries.
Ms Haviland will call for an ambitious approach that prioritises sustainability, stabilises supply chains, and reduces costs for thousands of smaller businesses on both sides of the Atlantic.
She will say: “As a network, [Chambers] are supportive of free and open trade, and of deeper relationships with our key international partners.
“We welcome the opportunity to participate in this dialogue, shaping clear outcomes at this critical juncture as we recover from the pandemic but face now the consequences from the War in Ukraine.
“Trade is critical to our common economic recovery on both sides of the Atlantic – done right, it makes us more prosperous, more productive, raises investment and wage levels, and opens new horizons.
“But its opportunities have to be shared by everyone -across workforces and all the communities of the UK represented in the BCC and the US – from the industrial heart of Pennsylvania to the food manufacturers in the North East of Scotland.”
Ms Haviland will also be joined at the Dialogues by the BCC’s US affiliate – BritishAmerican Business (BAB). It has taken part in both the US and UK roundtable sessions.
Duncan Edwards, chief executive officer of BAB, said: “The transatlantic business community welcomes the Dialogues as a promising opportunity to build on the already strong trade and investment relationship shared by the US and UK. We were pleased to see the progress made in Baltimore and the renewed emphasis on transatlantic trade, investment, and political cooperation. Following the progress made at the first Dialogue, it is important that discussions in Aberdeen focus on achieving tangible outcomes on each of the identified workstreams and lead to joint initiatives on SMEs, digital trade, green trade, and supply chains.”
