Liz Truss officially signs UK-Switzerland services deal
International trade secretary Liz Truss has today signed a rollover services agreement with the Swiss government that will ensure UK companies and professionals can work in Switzerland for up to 90 days a year.
The deal, closed two weeks ago, will benefit industries such as financial services, legal services, consultancy, the tech sector and the creative industries.
The deal is the same that the UK had while it was in the EU and will come into force on 1 January 2021, after the Brexit transition period ends.
Truss said she wanted the UK to build on its current relationship with Switzerland by brokering an improved trade agreement in the future.
“This deal between two services powerhouses is an important part of our mission to be a global hub for services and technology trade,” Truss said.
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“It supports a services relationship that is worth over £17 billion and provides much needed certainty for thousands of UK businesses and professionals.
“It will enhance the UK’s status as a global leader in services, supporting trade in vital sectors and benefitting businesses of all sizes, from big firms to small start-ups and self-employed professionals.”
Truss has now signed rollover trade deals with a swathe of non-EU countries that will ensure the UK can trade with these nations on the same terms as it did pre-Brexit.
Countries that have signed continuity trade deals include Norway, Canada, South Korea, Ukraine, Switzerland, Israel and North Macedonia.
The rollover deals signed so far are with countries that make up more than 90 per cent of the UK’s current non-EU trade.