EU and protectionism

 Continuing yesterday's theme of what the UK can do outside the restrictions of the European customs union, there is at least one useful thing which we can do for poorer countries. While the EU is better than most at allowing in basic foodstuffs, there are barriers to finished products. An example is chocolate. The Netherlands agency for promoting imports to the EU has identified semi-finished products such as cocoa butter, which are allowed, as a growth area. We could go further in helping cocoa-growing countries in accepting packaged chocolate bars etc. on which there is a greater profit margin.

We have at least rolled over 60 of the 70 EU trade agreements which were in force at the time of Brexit, many of which help the third world. From a European Parliament fact sheet of November 2019:

The EBA [Everything but arms] initiative grants duty-free and quota-free access for an unlimited period for all products, except arms and ammunition, imported from 48 LDCs [Least Developed Countries]. Of these, 34 are African countries, eight are Asian countries, five are Pacific countries and one is in the Caribbean (Haiti).

It would help if Brexiteers refrained from distorting the facts. Daniel Kawcynski MP for instance has been caught out in a lie about EU tariffs on non-EU producers.