ISDS Case Map
India
Deal’s fate rests on ‘talks about talks’ between senior officials as EU demands greater flexibility on imports.
To counter the zero tariff formula championed by the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, India plans to advocate its own template for future free trade agreements (FTAs) wherein trade partners have to lower tariffs to 5%.
"We will try for RCEP to be TPP minus because RCEP standards will be lower than TPP ones," said a commerce department official.
Outstanding issues include the EU demand for a reduction in the duties on automobiles, wines and spirits, and Indian demand for greater movement of professionals.
India’s new model BIT text follows the trend of divergent approaches to investment treaty-making by focusing on a more defensive-minded strategy than in its prior treaties.
Chief negotiators of India and EU took stock of "outstanding issues", including duty cut on automobiles and movement of professionals, that have held up talks on the proposed free trade agreement.
As reported in Indian media, senior officials from the European Commission and India are expected to meet today in Brussels to hold talks on resuming negotiations on the proposed European Union-India free trade agreement.
The new Bilateral Investment Treaty will ensure that no decision taken by the government with regard to taxation matters is dragged into arbitration.
Canada asks officials to focus on TPP ratification instead; wants India to first ink bilateral investment pact.
Representatives of industry raised concerns about the impact of various free-trade agreements (FTAs) on the country’s trade and sought more clarity on guidelines governing e-commerce in a meeting with commerce and industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday.
