Committee publication · Correspondence · 15 April 2026
Letter from the Minister of State for Trade relating to the Department's response to the call for evidence on UK accession to the regional convention of Pan-Euro Mediterranean preferential rules of origin (PEM), 26 March 2026
From: Business and Trade Committee
Inquiry: UK trade with the EU
Summary
Minister of State for Trade Sir Chris Bryant informs the Business and Trade Committee that the Department for Business and Trade has published its response to a call for evidence on UK accession to the Pan-Euro Mediterranean (PEM) Convention on Rules of Origin. The five-week consultation received 66 responses, with 79% supporting accession, though concerns were raised about administrative burden on UK-EU trade.
Key findings
- The PEM Convention is a multilateral agreement among 25 contracting parties including the EU, establishing common rules of origin to facilitate trade and supply chain integration
- The call for evidence ran from 17 November to 22 December 2025, receiving 66 responses with 52 (79%) indicating support for UK accession
- Respondents recognised benefits of harmonisation and supply chain flexibility that PEM membership would provide
- Concerns were raised by many respondents about potential increase in administrative burden in UK-EU trade arising from accession
- The government will consider call for evidence results as one part of ongoing policy development on PEM accession
Tone
ProceduralTopics
trade-policyinternational-agreementssupply-chainsregulatory-harmonisation
Key actors
Sir Chris Bryant MP, Liam Byrne MP, Department for Business and Trade, Pan-Euro Mediterranean Convention, European Union
Notable line
“… a majority of respondents indicated support for accession”
Key Quotes
“… the Pan-Euro Mediterranean Convention on Rules of Origin (PEM) is a multilateral agreement between 25 contracting parties including the EU and its near neighbours. It establishes common rules of origin among its members to facilitate trade and support the integration of supply chains.”
“Respondents recognised the benefits of harmonisation and supply chain flexibility that PEM would bring. This support was tempered by a concern from many about a potential increase in the administrative burden in UK-EU trade.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗