India may be looking at a dry spell for FTAs if RCEP falls through: Experts

Talks with major economies like the EU and US, among others, on trade and investment deals are stuck on similar issues

The government’s strategy to secure bilateral deals with the United States, the European Union (EU) and other economies may be a difficult exercise if talks with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) fall through, say experts.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has batted for a bilateral deal with the US, while also stressing that India is keen to restart free-trade agreement (FTA) talks with the EU. But with institutional reform being a slow process and domestic industry unwilling to adjust to foreign players in the domestic market, India may be looking at a long dry spell for these FTAs,