India, UAE Review CEPA Progress As Bilateral Trade Tops USD 100 Billion

New Delhi, Nov 27 (KNN) India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) held the third meeting of the Joint Committee under the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in New Delhi, reviewing progress and strengthening cooperation under the pact.

The meeting was co-chaired by Ajay Bhadoo, Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, and Juma Al Kait, Assistant Undersecretary, International Trade Affairs, UAE. 

Both sides welcomed the strong growth in bilateral trade, which crossed USD 100.06 billion in FY 2024-25, an increase of 19.6 per cent, cementing the UAE’s position as one of India’s key trading partners.

The Joint Committee held detailed discussions on market access issues, data sharing, Gold Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) allocation, anti-dumping matters, services, Rules of Origin, and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) licensing. 

India also briefed the UAE on its recent decision to allocate Gold TRQ through a transparent competitive bidding process.

Both the sides reaffirmed their commitment to boosting non-oil and non-precious metal trade toward the USD 100 billion target by 2030.

The talks also covered regulatory cooperation in pharmaceuticals, the resolution of issues related to Certificates of Origin, and BIS coordination. 

They also discussed expediting the signing of an MoU on Food Safety and Technical Requirements between Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and the UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change & Environment.

The meeting concluded with both countries agreeing to strengthen trade facilitation, enhance regulatory collaboration, improve data-sharing mechanisms, and convene a meeting of the Services Subcommittee. 

The UAE delegation also met Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal to discuss measures for optimal CEPA utilisation.

The visit reaffirmed the commitment of both nations to deepening balanced trade, expanding market opportunities, and further strengthening their strategic economic partnership under CEPA.
(KNN Bureau)