b'Director-General of the CBI, Digby Jones, has pointed out:I think you never ever bought a house by offering the vendor the whole asking price on Day One. And at the moment the CBI have been engineered into a position to thats where they are. They need to take a deep breath, they need to go back to their roots and say when the democratically elected Prime Minister comes back with what hes going to put to the people, we the CBI will then poll our members and tell you what it is.There are free trade areas throughout the world. We have identified 16, including: the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA); the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA);and the South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA). For a full list of the identified freeWorld Trade Organisation (WTO). It is not trade areas, see Appendix 14. None of thejust China, Russia and the USA, as a fact, free trade areas is a political union. Moreover,six of the top 10 exporting countries to the the EU itself has entered into, via at least sixEU and 11 of the top 20 do not have trade different kinds and types of structure, tradeagreements with the EU. relationships with over 100 countries. We would be able to negotiate FTAsThe centrepiece of the UKs trade policy onmultilateral or bilateraland would seek Brexit would be membership of the WTO.such agreements with all willing countries It governs our trade relations with all otheror groups of countries. Crucially, these WTO members, including those in thewould be FTAs not Customs Unions, as a EU. Within the WTO, we could negotiatecountry can join only one customs union, as a full and independent member. At thebut can negotiate as many FTAs as it likes. moment, we are rendered voiceless andAn FTA can be negotiated on exit from the almost impotent as trade falls within thediminished EU, but UK-EU trade is not competenceof the EU. We should alignremotely dependent on any UK-EU FTA. ourselves with other members aiming toIn the absence of an FTA with a particular increase ever more open and free trade,country (or Customs Union), the UK is through the WTO and liberating morenonetheless fully able to trade and trade markets and so increasing both our own andsuccessfullyunder the normal rules of the global prosperity.World Trade Organisation.It is crucial to note that the top threeTo be clear, the only people who lost their exporting countries to the EUChina, RussiajobsonBrexitareMEPssuchasthe and the USAhave NO trade agreement orauthor. other agreement at all with the EU beyond those which derive from membership of theFree trade agreements are helpfulbut FTAs are not a precondition to trade, far less are FTAs essential.100'