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The European Free Trade Association (EFTA), a four-nation non-European Union bloc of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, prefers a free trade agreement (FTA) with India instead of an early harvest deal.

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In an interview with Aanchal Magazine, Switzerlands State Secretary for Economic Affairs Helene Budliger Artieda said though EFTA negotiations run parallel to Indias FTA talks with the European Union (EU), they aim to have similar conditions for access to the Indian market as the EU. Edited excerpts:

It was very important to meet at a high level to take stock of where we are and on the way forward. Both sides share a common wish to conclude these negotiations finally. We always talked about a Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement. That part is not new. But, we have had a few years where our discussions have stalled, and we have now jointly decided to give the talks new impetus. For this, the meeting was beneficial, although some work remains. It will be important that experts on both sides sit together and make progress in the negotiations so that, hopefully soon, we can conclude a mutually beneficial agreement.

In many areas, we are quite far advanced. But some key areas will need further in-depth discussions, namely market access issues for goods and services, intellectual property rights, rules of origin, trade, and sustainable development. All sides involved feel that an agreement must be balanced and fair and offer opportunities for India and EFTA members.

As I mentioned, some key areas will need further in-depth discussions. Now it is crucial to make quick progress. Experts must sit down together to solve these issues. It will be important that the political level remains closely engaged.

Our preference is clearly to have a comprehensive agreement.

These are two separate negotiations, although they are pursued in parallel. However, in many areas, we have similar interests and aim at a similar level of ambition. Companies from the EU are among the most important competitors of companies from the EFTA states. It is, therefore, important for us to have similar conditions for access to the Indian market as the EU.

We are ready to discuss all issues that India brings to the table. On trade in goods, the goal is to have meaningful market access commitments on both sides based on interest. A large chunk of imports into India consists of gold. Without that, India would have a trade surplus. Another area still under discussion is trade-in services also there, the goal is to grant beneficial treatment in areas of key interest to the negotiating partners.

We, however, also need to respect the sensitivities that the parties have. This applies to the whole agreement.

Trade policy is constantly evolving, and new issues are gaining importance.Trade and sustainable development is one of the issues that were new at some point, and many raised the question of why this should be included in a trade agreement. Nowadays, it is not conceivable that a comprehensive and modern trade agreement is concluded without strong provisions in this area. Gender policy is among the new issues on the trade agenda, also in the World Trade Organization. And it is increasingly being included in FTAs worldwide. We welcome Indias proposal to include a chapter on gender equality and womens issues.

The Indian Express (P) Ltd

First published on: 01-05-2023 at 05:37 IST

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EFTA aims to have similar conditions for access to the Indian market as the EU - The Indian Express