Written question asked by Rebecca Paul (Conservative) on Thursday, 11 December 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 16 December 2025 (named day). It was answered by Chris Bryant (Labour) on Tuesday, 16 December 2025 on behalf of the Department for Business and Trade.

Electronic Commerce

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support UK participation in the WTO Joint Statement Initiative on e-commerce.

Answer: The WTO Agreement on E Commernce (ECA) is the first global digital trade agreement that will make trade faster, cheaper, fairer, and more secure. The UK is an active and supportive participant of the Joint Statement Initiative on E-commerce (JSI). In July 2024, following five years of JSI negotiations, the UK joined the resulting plurilateral WTO Agreement on Electronic Commerce (ECA) as a founding Member, alongside 70 other countries. The number of participants to the Agreement has now risen to 72. The UK is working closely with other WTO Members to give legal effect to the ECA as soon as possible.

Secondary information