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Trade Agreements
India and the United States will commence three-day talks on the first phase of their proposed bilateral trade agreement here from December 10, sources said. The visit is crucial as India and the US are working to finalise the first tranche of the pact. "The three-day talks will start on December 10. It will conclude on December 12, and it is not a formal round of talks," said one of the sources. The US team will be led by Deputy United States Trade Representative (USTR) Rick Switzer. This visit of the US officials marks their second trip since the imposition of a 25 per cent tariff and an additional 25 per cent penalty on Indian goods entering the American market due to the purchase of Russian crude oil. On September 16, the US officials last visited India. On September 22, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also led an official delegation to the US for trade talks. Goyal had also visited Washington in May. While the USA's chief negotiator for the pact is Assistant US
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday reviewed the progress of negotiations for the second tranche of trade agreement with his Australian counterpart Don Farrell, an official statement said. "Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to work constructively towards the early conclusion of a balanced and mutually beneficial CECA (comprehensive economic cooperation agreement)," it said. The first part of the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) entered into force in December 2022. During the meeting, the Ministers reviewed the progress made under the CECA negotiations and discussed pathways to elevate bilateral trade and economic partnerships. The discussions covered a wide range of areas including trade in goods, services, investment and cooperation in mutually beneficial, it said. In 202425, bilateral merchandise trade between India and Australia stood at USD 24.1 billion, with India's exports registering a growth of 14 per cent in 202324 and a further 8 p
Several UK businesses see the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India as a "game-changer" as they accelerate expansion plans and a majority of firms without a presence move to enter the market, according to a new report. According to Grant Thornton's latest International Business Report' (IBR) analysis from last week, 72 per cent of UK firms now identify India as a key market for international growth, up from 61 per cent last year, signalling India's "shift to the centre of global strategy conversations". The India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's UK visit in July, is expected to significantly enhance the 44.1-billion-pound bilateral trading partnership once it is ratified by the British Parliament in the coming months. The IBR report found that while only 28 per cent of businesses surveyed currently operate in India, 73 per cent of those without a current presence plan to enter the market, including 13 per cent within
Senior officials of India and the 27-nation European Union (EU) concluded the 14th round of talks for a proposed free trade agreement in Brussels, an official said. The five-day talks began on October 6 to iron out differences on different issues related to goods and services for the early conclusion of the negotiations, the official said. The Indian negotiators were later joined by Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal in the closing days of the round for providing a push to the negotiations. Agrawal held discussions with European Commission Director General for Trade Sabine Weyand during the visit. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal recently expressed hope that the two sides will sign the agreement soon. The minister is also expected to visit Brussels to meet his EU counterpart Maros Sefcovic to review the progress. Both sides have targeted to conclude negotiations by December. In June 2022, India and the EU bloc resumed negotiations for a comprehensive FTA, an investment
Companies from the UK will be able to offer services in sectors such as telecom, and construction in India without setting up a local presence, under the free trade agreement signed between the two countries. The British firms will be treated on par with Indian firms. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) was signed on July 24 in London. It may take about a year for items implementation as the free trade pact needs approval from the British Parliament. "UK companies can now provide telecom, construction, and related services in India without establishing a local presence, enjoying full national treatment, meaning they will be treated on par with Indian firms," the commerce ministry said. Services is a key chapter in the agreement as both countries are strong in different kinds of services. India enjoys a trade surplus of around USD 6.6 billion with the UK. The country's services exports stood at USD 19.8 billion and imports at USD 13.2 billion. In the agreement, t
India has protected all sensitive sectors, including dairy, rice and sugar, in the free trade agreement with the UK, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Saturday. The pact will help boost exports of labour-intensive products like footwear, textiles and gems and jewellery, he added. "We have protected all the sensitive sectors of India...we have not opened for UK (those areas)....Zero compromise and extensive benefits makes it a phenomenal free trade agreement (FTA)," Goyal told reporters here. The agreement was signed on July 24 in London. He added that the agreement will open doors for India to the developed world.
India has accepted language in the intellectual property chapter of the free trade agreement with the UK that subtly curtails its ability to issue compulsory licences, a critical tool for accessing life-saving technologies during emergencies, think tank GTRI said on Thursday. It also said that India has agreed to "adequate remuneration" norms for compulsory licensing for the pharma sector in the agreement with the UK, thus risking delays in future access to affordable medicines and green tech. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said that in "a significant concession, India has accepted language in the Intellectual Property (IP) chapter of the agreement that subtly curtails its ability to issue compulsory licenses (CL), a critical tool for accessing life-saving technologies during emergencies". "For the first time" in any trade agreement, India has explicitly agreed to wording that stresses the need for 'adequate remuneration' to patent holders, GTRI founder Ajay Srivastava