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Passage on Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (for next 2 Qs) Senior officials from India and the EU resumed the much-awaited negotiations for a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) here on Monday, after a gap of almost nine years. Both the sides are set to focus on the “deliverables” first during the course of the negotiations, before moving on to contentious matters. Duty-free access to the EU market for labour-intensive industries, mainly textiles and garments, will be among India’s key demands. The negotiations restart at a time when the US and the EU, India’s top markets that accounted for as much as 44% of the country’s merchandise exports in FY22, are staring at a recession. Any collapse in economic growth in these economies could, therefore, potentially put the brakes on the resurgence in India’s exports witnessed in FY22. Before the negotiations began, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal met European Commission executive vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis on June 17 and “discussed ways to fast track negotiations”. Formal negotiations between the two sides for the FTA were stuck over stark differences after 16 rounds of talks between 2007 and 2013. The EU insisted that India scrap or slash hefty import duties on sensitive products such as automobiles, alcoholic beverages and dairy products, and open up legal services. Similarly, India’s demand included greater access to the EU market for its skilled professionals, among others. However, both the sides have now decided to take the negotiations to their logical conclusion.

With which of the following countries Indian has recently signed Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA)?

A Sri Lanka Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
B Bhutan Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
C Thailand Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
D Australia Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
E UAE Correct Answer Incorrect Answer

Solution

India and Australia had signed an Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) that seeks to almost double bilateral trade in the next five years to $45-50 billion from $27 billion now. Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal and Australian minister for trade, tourism, and investment Dan Tehan signed the India-Australia ECTA in a virtual ceremony in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison. The agreement is likely to be implemented in another four months.

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