Page 14 - Free Trade Agreement

India-UK to resolve visa, EV issues under proposed free trade agreement

India and the UK are trying to resolve issues concerning visas for domestic professionals and duty concessions on British electric vehicles (EVs) as part of the proposed free trade agreement, and talks on them are at the last leg, an official said. An Indian team is in the UK to iron out differences over these issues, besides some others in the services sector and customs duty cut on British whiskey. The two countries are looking at tariff rate quota (TRQ) type arrangements for EVs. Under TRQ, a fixed number of goods are allowed at concessional duty, and beyond that, normal duty applies. The UK has sought customs duty concessions on exports of electric vehicles to India under the proposed free trade agreement. "India is seeking a liberal visa regime for its services companies as those firms need to send skilled professionals to the UK. So, visa regime should be facilitative for them," the official said. However, the UK is arguing that one of the main issues that led to Brexit was

India-UK FTA talks: Trying to balance mobility, migration concerns

After a high-level UK delegation visited India to iron out the differences, currently, an Indian delegation is in London to advance discussions

Indian officials in Muscat to negotiate free trade pact with Oman

It is learnt that the department of commerce has set an internal deadline of finalising the deal by month-end

EFTA deal with India could be signed before 2024 elections: Swiss envoy

Switzerland's Ambassador to India, Ralf Heckner, has expressed optimism that the crucial European Free Trade Association (EFTA) deal with the country would be wrapped up before the 2024 general elections. Heckner stressed on the importance of the proposed trade deal for unlocking innovation and investment opportunities. "Both sides have been negotiating very closely and seriously over the last more than 12 months. I remain positive that the deal would be wrapped up before the (2024) elections," he told PTI. The envoy was recently in the city to unveil the Kolkata chapter of the Swiss-India Chamber of Commerce. Parliamentary elections in India are due in early 2024. "If India wants innovation, it needs to work with about 12 to 15 countries, and one of those countries is Switzerland for a world of investments and innovation," We will have a more strategic innovation relationship with India, Heckner stated. India and the EFTA states Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland

Tariff tussle: UK delegation reaches out to Siam to quell FTA doubts

Holds meets with industry representatives; agreement at advanced stage

India shares natural synergy with Nordic-Baltic nations to expand ties: EAM

Jaishankar noted the important role played by the Nordic Baltic countries as leaders in innovation, start-ups, tech applications and digital progress

Here's why India and UK are acting like cowards on the free trade agreement

Indian negotiators are pushing for strict "rules of origin" checks for tradable goods, to make sure that any FTA benefits apply only to goods made predominantly in Britain

Next round of India, UK talks for free trade agreement expected soon

Chief negotiators of India and the UK are expected to soon hold next round of talks for the proposed free trade agreement to iron out differences on issues such as automobiles, medical devices, and movement of professionals, an official said. The official said that the UK team may come here for the 14th round of negotiations so that the talks can be concluded at the earliest. "Virtual sessions are progressing. But we are planning for a full fledged round of talks. In the full round, both sides discuss all the chapters. Some 60-70 sessions happen parallelly," the official, who did not wish to be named, said. Issues which need resolution include rules of origin; intellectual property rights (IPRs); social security agreement; duty concessions on electric vehicles, scotch whiskey, lamb meat, chocolates and certain confectionary items; liberalisation of norms in services sectors like banking and insurance. Talks are also progressing on the proposed bilateral investment treaty (BIT). Th

Jaishankar, Cameron discuss progressing India-UK Free Trade Agreement

The duo also discussed shared global challenges, including the situation in Israel and Gaza and the war between Russia and Ukraine

India-UK trade deal: Prospects & challenges

Could a successful negotiation herald a new era in their modest trade relationship?

The Diwali deadline

India-UK FTA needs to be expedited

India, UK see free-trade deal possibly in December after poll results

There isn't any firm deadline but an announcement could be made after the vote concludes and results are out December 3

Eye on free-trade agreement, India seeks Eurasian bloc trade data

The pact, if materialised, will strengthen the bilateral commercial relationship between India and Russia

India negotiates for UK carbon tax concessions in proposed FTA deal

FTA talks in final stage, but some differences still remain

UK-India FTA: Electric vehicles market access sparks differences

The UK government has asked India to allow exporting a limited number of fully assembled EVs to India with no customs duty

India, UK free trade deal unlikely to finalise by month end: Report

Both sides already missed the Diwali deadline last year former set by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson

India needs to be cautious of carbon levy in FTA, says GTRI report

India must make domestic rules and standards before taking commitments under the FTAs on non-trade issues

India-Peru to recommence free trade agreement negotiation on Tuesday

There will also be discussions on services, the movement of people, and the investment chapter later in the month based on the mutual convenience of the negotiators

India, Bangladesh discuss preparations to start talks for free trade pact

India and Bangladesh have discussed preparations to start talks for a free trade agreement between the two countries to promote economic ties, an official statement said on Sunday. It was discussed during an official-level meeting of the Joint Working Group on Trade (JWG) between India and Bangladesh, which was held last week in Dhaka. The meeting "discussed a host of bilateral issues such as removal of port restrictions, ground work on commencement of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), harmonization of standards, and mutual recognition of standards, supply of essential commodities to Bangladesh," the commerce ministry said. CEPA is a kind of free trade agreement, under which two trading partners significantly reduce or eliminate customs duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them. Besides, they also ease norms to promote trade in services and investments. They also deliberated upon issues related to development of road and rail infrastructure, regio

India and UK free-trade agreement negotiations to resume on Monday

Negotiations for Canada deal only after resolution of political issues