India, EU to focus on market access in fast-tracked FTA talks

India and the European Union have fast-tracked their free trade negotiations, proposing intensive deliberations on crucial market access issues such as eliminating tariff and non-tariff barriers in the next round of talks starting July 7 in Brussels,

- Rajeev Jayaswal

NEW DELHI: people familiar with the matter said, adding that the two sides have already agreed on nearly a fourth of the 24-chapter deal.

With only about six months left to a previously stated deadline to conclude a balanced, equitable and mutually beneficial deal, both sides are focused on core elements of the proposed free trade agreement (FTA), the people added, requesting anonymity. Core elements include key matters such as removing tariff and non-tariff barriers on trade in goods, services trade, bilateral investment, rules of origin (ROO), sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, and technical barriers to trade (TBT), they said.