EFTA and India hold seventh round of free trade negotiations

The round allowed for significant progress particularly with respect to trade in goods. Areas covered by experts groups included: Market access for industrial products, fish and agricultural goods; sanitary and phytosanitary measures; technical barriers to trade; rules of origin; customs procedures and trade facilitation; trade defence measures; competition; investment; intellectual property rights; and dispute settlement. Services experts will continue their discussions in separate meetings shortly.

The parties agreed on a roadmap for the further process, including follow-up discussions between experts in several areas and a next full round of negotiations before mid-2011.

The EFTA team was headed by Ambassador Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch from Switzerland, while Shri P.K. Chaudhery, Additional Secretary of the Department of Commerce, led the Indian delegation.