**Executive Summary**
This document outlines India's achievements in Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) for the year 2025-26, highlighting a strategy to redefine global trade through new-generation FTAs. Key agreements mentioned include EFTA TEPA (entered into force October 1, 2025), India-UK CETA (signed July 2025), India-Oman CEPA (signed December 2025), India-New Zealand FTA (announced December 22, 2025), India-EU FTA (announced January 27, 2026), and an interim agreement with the United States (framework on February 7, 2026). The document emphasizes the unique nature and benefits of these agreements, aiming to foster competitiveness, create opportunities, and secure market access for various sectors.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Expansion of FTA Network:**
* India has expanded its network to nine FTAs, spanning 38 countries.
* Recent agreements include India-Mauritius (2021), India-UAE (May 2022), India-Australia (implemented December 2022).
* **Agreements Signed/Announced 2025-26:**
* EFTA TEPA: Signed March 10, 2024; entered into force October 1, 2025.
* India-UK CETA: Signed July 2025.
* India-Oman CEPA: Signed December 2025.
* India-New Zealand FTA: Announced December 22, 2025.
* India-EU FTA: Announced January 27, 2026.
* United States: Framework for an interim agreement delivered February 7, 2026.
* **Benefits and Focus of FTAs:**
* Provide market access for farmers and increase competitiveness for entrepreneurs, women-led MSMEs in garments, leather, and handicrafts.
* Create mobility pathways for talent, including students, IT professionals, chefs, and yoga instructors, supported by post-study work visas and social security relief.
* Promote organic products and traditional wellness systems like AYUSH.
* Facilitate Digital Services and AI development.
* Aim to catalyze investments.
* **Negotiation Principles:**
* Negotiated with openness, balance, and national priority of 'atmanirbhar bharat'.
* Protected interests of sensitive sectors including dairy, agriculture, farmers, and domestic industry.
* Safeguarded market access.
* **Overall Objective:**
* Negotiating from a position of strength to transform trade and fulfill aspirations.
* Leading towards 'Viksit Bharat @2047'.
**Impact Analysis**
**Farmers**
* **Impact:** Increased access to developed world markets for their products.
* **Action Required:** To leverage new market opportunities presented by FTAs.
**Entrepreneurs, Women-led MSMEs (Garments, Leather, Handicrafts)**
* **Impact:** Enhanced competitiveness in global markets.
* **Action Required:** To capitalize on increased competitiveness to expand exports.
**Young Indians, Students, IT Professionals, Chefs, Yoga Instructors**
* **Impact:** Improved choices and clear mobility pathways for work and study, with support for post-study work visas, mobility, and social security.
* **Action Required:** To explore and utilize the expanded opportunities for international work and study.
**Producers of Organic Products and Traditional Wellness Systems (AYUSH)**
* **Impact:** Increased access and promotion of their products and systems in international markets.
* **Action Required:** To explore opportunities for global market penetration.
**Digital Services Sector**
* **Impact:** Enabled to power global AI and benefit from increased trade in digital services.
* **Action Required:** To capitalize on advancements and opportunities in the global digital services market.
**All Sensitive Sectors (Dairy, Agriculture, Farmers, Domestic Industry)**
* **Impact:** Interests have been protected, and market access safeguarded.
* **Action Required:** To operate within the secured market access framework and utilize protected interests.
**India's FTA Partners**
* **Impact:** Elevated to stakeholders through the FTAs, fostering investment and trade.
* **Action Required:** To engage with India as strategic partners in trade and investment.
Key Entities Referenced
Free Trade Agreements (FTAs): The central subject of the document, detailing India's achievements and network of these agreements.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry: The government body responsible for overseeing and reporting on India's trade agreements.
India-Mauritius: A specific FTA mentioned as the starting point of India's expanded network.
India-UAE Comprehensive Economic partnership agreement: Another significant economic agreement between India and UAE.
India–Australia Economic and Trade Agreement: An economic and trade agreement between India and Australia that was implemented.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
India’s achievements in Free Trade Agreements
for the year 2025-26
Posted On: 06 MAR 2026 8:00PM by PIB Delhi
In last one decade, India has emerged decisive and confident: redrawing and redefining the map of global trade and charting
modern, future-ready, new generation of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).
India has steadily expanded its network of free trade agreements over the past few years reaching Nine
FTAs spanning 38 countries. Starting with India–Mauritius in 2021, the India–UAE Comprehensive
Economic partnership agreement followed in May 2022. India–Australia Economic and Trade Agreement
was implemented in December 2022. India then signed the EFTA TEPA on 10th March 2024, which
entered into force on 1st October 2025. The India–UK CETA was signed in July 2025 and India–Oman
CEPA in December 2025. The India–New Zealand FTA was announced on 22nd December 2025,
followed by the India–EU FTA on 27th January 2026. With United States, we have delivered framework
for an interim agreement on 7th February 2026 and cemented our global trade footprint.
Every agreement has been unique and a recognition: of the scale of our market, our economic potential
and the trust in the capabilities of 1.4 billion Indians.
These Agreements are for farmers whose products now have access to the developed world. They are for
entrepreneurs, women-led MSMEs exporting garments, leather and handicrafts with new competitiveness.
They are for talent - young Indians, our students, IT professionals, chefs, yoga instructors who now have
choices and clear mobility pathways to work, to study and to build futures supported by post-study work
visas, mobility and social security relief. They are for organic products and traditional wellness systems of
AYUSH. They are for Digital Services, powering the worlds’ AI. They are for catalyzing investments and
making our FTA partners, our stakeholders.
India has negotiated FTAs with openness, balance and our national priority of an atmanirbhar bharat. The
interests of all sensitive sectors—dairy, agriculture, farmers, and domestic industry—have been protected,
and market access has been safeguarded. This is India negotiating from strength to usher in an age of
transformation in trade and fulfilling the aspirations of our people. India is leading the way to Viksit
Bharat @2047.
Key highlights of the Agreements signed or announced in 2025-26 can be accessed at the following link:-
https://www.commerce.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/FTAsachievement.pdf
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Abhishek Dayal/Shabbir Azad/Anushka Pandey
(Release ID: 2236134) Visitor Counter : 416
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