International Policy & Trade Updates
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International Trade and Policy Groups
The working groups provide business intelligence, networking and event opportunities. Get involved if you are a techUK member. Click on the group you are interested in to find out more and join!
Trade Working Group
The techUK Trade Working Group aids members in shaping the UK's digital trade policy, addressing bilateral trade negotiations, and engaging in WTO e-commerce talks. It also fosters techUK leadership in global settings such as WTO, OECD, UNCTAD, G7, G20.
Trade and Customs Compliance Group
The Trade and Customs Compliance Group (formerly JETSECC & ITAC) is the policy work forum on export controls, dual-use, defence exports, customs and the rules around international trade.
Tech Forums
techUK has a number of country-specific forums that bring members together to discuss issues and events that may impact their growth within that locality and between the two nations.
UK-India Tech Forum
This Forum focuses on the tech and trade relationship between the UK and India, with the FTA expected to be signed in 2024. It provides an avenue for trade and investment concerns to be raised regarding companies that currently operate between the UK and India, and focuses on the opportunities in emerging tech between the UK and India
UK-China Tech Forum
The Forum allows members to engage with government and business stakeholders from both the UK and China to discuss some of the key challenges and opportunities they see when operating in China (or the UK). The Forum acknowledges the geopolitical sensitivities of the UK-China relationship and looks to deepen collaboration in some of the non-politically sensitive areas of tech and trade.
UK-Japan Tech Forum
Following the conclusion of the Hiroshima Accord & the CEPA, this Forum plays a key role in shaping the tech and trading relationship between the UK and Japan. The Forum also seeks to help companies, especially those in the emerging tech space, to expand and export into Japan, and vice-versa.
UK-APAC Tech Forum
This Forum, which focuses on Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and the ASEAN countries (+CPTPP countries), provides engagement opportunities with key stakeholders in government and business to drive new digital economy agreements, address barriers to digital market access and expand and demystify the growth of commercial networks in the region
Our Other Activity
Click on the tabs below to find out what activity our International Policy and Trade programme is working on.
Digital Trade Conference
techUK and partners brought together academics, thought leaders, technology experts and policy makers at techUK’s first annual Digital Trade Conference. The conference focused on four key geographical areas – Australia/New Zealand/Singapore, Japan, WTO/European Union and USA/Canada, exploring global best practice in digital trade, what does good look like, what we can learn from each other and how the UK can help drive a vision for open digital trade going forward.
Get involved
All techUK's work is led by our members - keep in touch or get involved by joining one of the programmes below.
International Policy and Trade
techUK’s International Policy and Trade Programme works with stakeholders across the UK Government as well as with our partners around the globe on representing the tech sector in trade-related matters and seeks to expand opportunities for business growth. Our programme helps businesses access export opportunities in key strategic markets and works with the industry to shape the government’s agenda on trade.
Policy and Public Affairs
techUK's policy and public affairs function makes the case to government and policymakers across Westminster, Whitehall, Brussels and the devolved nations on the most pressing issues facing businesses and the tech sector.
Market Access
The techUK Market Access Programme helps members understand, shape, and comply with the increasingly complex array of regulations and laws that underpin international trade. We work with government officials and legal experts to help members understand and shape policy around standards, technical regulations, sanctions, trade policy and export controls, subjects tech firms need to be on top of to trade internationally.
Meet the Team!
Sabina Ciofu
Daniel Clarke
Oliver Alderson
Sabina Ciofu
Sabina Ciofu is Associate Director – International, running the International Policy and Trade Programme at techUK.
Based in Brussels, she leads our EU policy and engagement. She is also our lead on international trade policy, with a focus on digital trade chapter in FTAs, regulatory cooperation as well as broader engagement with the G7, G20, WTO and OECD.
As a transatlanticist at heart, Sabina is a GMF Marshall Memorial fellow and issue-lead on the EU-US Trade and Technology Council, within DigitalEurope.
Previously, she worked as Policy Advisor to a Member of the European Parliament for almost a decade, where she specialised in tech regulation, international trade and EU-US relations.
Sabina loves building communities and bringing people together. She is the founder of the Gentlewomen’s Club and co-organiser of the Young Professionals in Digital Policy. Previously, as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community, she led several youth civic engagement and gender equality projects.
She sits on the Advisory Board of the University College London European Institute, Café Transatlantique, a network of women in transatlantic technology policy and The Nine, Brussels’ first members-only club designed for women.
Sabina holds an MA in War Studies from King’s College London and a BA in Classics from the University of Cambridge.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Phone:
- +32 473 323 280
- Website:
- www.techuk.org
Daniel Clarke
Dan joined techUK as a Policy Manager for International Policy and Trade in March 2023.
Before techUK, Dan worked for data and consulting company GlobalData as an analyst of tech and geopolitics. He has also worked in public affairs, political polling, and has written freelance for the New Statesman and Investment Monitor.
Dan has a degree in MSc International Public Policy from University College London, and a BA Geography degree from the University of Sussex.
Outside of work, Dan is a big fan of football, cooking, going to see live music, and reading about international affairs.
- Email:
- [email protected]
Oliver Alderson
Oliver is the team assistant for the Policy and Public Affairs teams, joining techUK in November of 2023. He assists the teams admistrative support, communication, and event production.
Prior to working at techUK, Oliver studied at Swansea and Bristol universities, attaining a masters in Policy Research. During this time he competed in debating competitions around the country where he discussed and deliberated various policy issues. Between his studies Oliver acted as a student assistant in mental health research for the SMaRteN student network.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Phone:
- 07505 890 596
- LinkedIn:
- https://uk.linkedin.com/in/oliver-alderson-a51312180