India-EFTA TEPA Gains Traction With 8,000 Rules of Origin Certificates Issued in First Year: Commerce Secretary

New Delhi, Oct 8 (KNN) In the first year of the India-European Free Trade Association (EFTA) trade agreement, around 8,000 Rules of Origin (RoO) certificates were issued, while Indian exporters have also begun shipping products that were not previously exported to EFTA markets, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Wednesday.

The figures indicate growing use of the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), although the Secretary noted that creating new products and supply chains would take more time.

During the second India-EFTA Prosperity Summit, Agrawal told reporters, “The feedback from exporters has been good. In the first year, we saw around 8,000 Rules of Origin certificates issued. This means that people have taken advantage of the Free Trade Agreement,” ANI reported.

The summit was attended by ministers and businesses from India and EFTA countries to mark the first year of the trade pact.

RoO certificates establish whether goods qualify for preferential tariff treatment under an FTA. 

“It is the first year, so it will take time for new products and new supply chains to be created. We have seen the export of many such new products start that were not exported before. So this is also a good sign that the agreement is working,” he said.

EFTA Firms Eye India For Manufacturing, Innovation

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted that discussions focused on deeper business and technology partnerships, with European companies increasingly viewing India as a manufacturing and innovation base.

Vaishnaw noted that companies were establishing production, manufacturing, design and research bases in India, creating opportunities for technology exchange, co-development and further technology development. Closer links between Indian MSMEs and EFTA businesses could also create additional opportunities, he added.

Government To Push FTA Utilisation

The Commerce Ministry is also expanding efforts to improve utilisation of India's growing network of FTAs.

Agrawal said the government would engage entrepreneurs and state governments across state capitals in October on FTAs that have been operationalised or are nearing implementation. District-level workshops will follow during the current financial year.

The initiative will include an FTA Utilisation Cell to create awareness, identify opportunities and support entrepreneurs. The cell will provide businesses with information and data to help them assess opportunities available under India's trade agreements.

(KNN Bureau)