India to Start FTA talks with UK, EU by year – end

After India exited China dominated RCEP deal at the last minute in 2019, it has shifted focus to the West in search of more favourable trade deals.

With EU, there is a clear agreement at the highest level on resumption of negotiations and the tracks on which the negotiation will happen

India may begin formal negotiations for free trade agreements (FTAs) with the United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU) by end of 2021 after completing ongoing preparatory work, commerce secretary Anup Wadhawan said.

“With EU, there is a clear agreement at the highest level on resumption of negotiations and the tracks on which the negotiation will happen. With the UK also, there was summit level discussion and clear announcement was made on starting.