UK looks to EU-S'pore FTA for ways to ensure trade continuity

Singapore

THE United Kingdom wants to work on legal mechanisms with Singapore so that when it leaves the European Union (EU), companies from both sides can continue reaping the benefits of a pending free-trade agreement (FTA) the South-east Asian country has with the EU.

But all this hinges on an EU Court of Justice decision, expected in as little as a month, on the number of layers of approval the FTA must get before it can come into force.

These comments, made on Wednesday by British High Commissioner to Singapore Scott Wightman, are the first such public comments since late March, when Britain officially kick-started negotiations o…