Lords Committee to question motor industry on benefits of EU/US trade deal
The Lords Committee investigating the ground-breaking trade deal between the EU and the US will hear from the automotive sector tomorrow, Thursday 12 December.
Representatives from Ford, Jaguar Land Rover, McLaren and the Society of Motor Manufacturer and Traders will all give evidence to the House of Lords EU Sub Committee on External Affairs.
The Lords Committee is holding an inquiry to look at the benefits, both to the EU and the UK, of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which was launched earlier this year.
The Committee will quiz the witnesses on the importance of the TTIP to motor manufacturers in Europe, what the benefits might mean for consumers, and whether EU manufacturers might set up additional bases in the US in order to export back to Europe.
Witnesses appearing before the Lords Committee will be Mike Hawes, CEO SMMT, Andrew McCall, Executive Director, Governmental Affairs, Ford of Europe, Geoff Grose, Chief Engineer, McLaren Automotive Limited and Chris Scott, Senior Manager, Global Automotive Safety, Regulations, Compliance and Homologation, Jaguar Land Rover.
Questions the witnesses will face include:
- Does the enthusiasm for TTIP in the US match that of the EU?
- To what extent have previous trade deals shown how much can be achieved on regulatory convergence?
- Could TTIP help in the effort to establish Global Technical Regulations?
- Reducing or removing non-tariff barriers could be extremely positive news for the industry – is that on both sides of the Atlantic?
- Could a deal result in any disadvantages for consumers?
The evidence session will take place at 10.05am on Thursday 12 December in Committee Room 1 of the House of Lords.
