UK seeking EU agreement on "fair and transparent" state owned enterprises - mandate

Britain wants to agree with the European Union that state-owned enterprises must operate in a fair and transparent manner, its mandate for upcoming trade deal talks said on Thursday.

"The agreement should ensure that the UK and EU's state-owned enterprises operate in a fair and transparent manner and do not discriminate against businesses in the other party when buying and selling on commercial markets," the document said.

"These provisions should apply to business enterprises where the state has significant control through full, majority or minority ownership."