Next round of India, Asean FTA review talks in February 2025

New Delhi: India and Asean will hold the next round of talks to review their free trade agreement in goods in February, the commerce and industry ministry said Saturday, adding that the fourth round of the negotiations was concluded here this month.

There are eight sub-committees under the Asean-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) joint committee to negotiate aspects related to market access, rules of origin, standards and technical regulations, customs procedures, economic and technical cooperation, trade remedies, and legal and institutional provisions.

"The next meeting of the AITIGA joint committee is scheduled in February 2025 in Jakarta, Indonesia," it said, adding that the review of the AITIGA will be a step forward in enhancing trade with the Asean region in a sustainable manner.


Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are Asean members.

The AITIGA was signed in 2009 and New Delhi has been asking for a review of the agreement to eliminate barriers and misuse of the trade pact. Asean has around 11% share in India's global trade.

India-Asean bilateral trade in FY24 was $121 billion and reached $73 billion during April-October this year with a 5.2% growth.

Europe trade

In a separate statement, the ministry said commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal travelled to Norway this week to discuss a potential fast-tracked implementation of a free trade deal between India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and unlock extensive trade opportunities for Indian businesses. EFTA comprises Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.