Parliament Question: Trade agreements and supply chain resilience

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 819 ANSWERED ON 06/02/2026 TRADE AGREEMENTS AND SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE 819. SHRI RAVI CHANDRA VADDIRAJU Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY be pleased to state: (a) the current status of negotiations for the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the specific timeline for its signing; (b) the details of other new trade agreements or negotiations currently underway with key global partners, including the status of the UK-India Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA); (c) whether Government is implementing specific measures to safeguard Indian supply chains from maritime disruptions and logistical bottlenecks caused by ongoing global tensions; and (d) the details of the "Import Substitution" strategy for critical goods to ensure supply chain autonomy in the face of international instability? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA) (a) India and the European Union (EU) jointly announced the conclusion of the India– European Union Free Trade Agreement (India–EU FTA) on 27th January 2026 at the 16th India–EU Summit in New Delhi. The FTA is to be signed after the completion of mandatory procedures. (b) The Government of India is negotiating trade agreements with the Australia, Chile, Peru, the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Sri Lanka and reviewing existing agreements with ASEAN and South Korea. The Government of India has signed Terms of References (TOR) for entering into trade agreement negotiations with Israel, Maldives, Philippines and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Recently, the Government has signed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the United Kingdom (UK) on 24th July, 2025 and Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with Oman on 18th December, 2025. These agreements are under ratification by the partner countries. India and the United States have recently announced a trade deal. The Government has also recently concluded negotiations for entering into a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with New Zealand. (c) & (d) The Government makes continuous efforts to enhance the resilience of Indian supply chains by strengthening institutional coordination, improving information-sharing mechanisms, engaging with industry to identify stress points, and leveraging international 1cooperation. India is actively participating in regional and plurilateral platforms to support diversified and sustainable supply chains, including the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). India has assumed a leadership role under the Supply Chain Resilience pillar, which was signed in November 2023 and became effective in February 2024. As Vice-Chair of the IPEF Supply Chain Council, India is working closely with partner countries to map vulnerabilities, identify critical goods and develop cooperative mechanisms to mitigate risks in regional supply chains. To ensure a coordinated approach, an International Supply Chain Resilience Study Group has been constituted which brings together representatives from key ministries and industry associations to map vulnerabilities across critical sectors, propose mitigation strategies and align efforts with India’s international commitments. ***** 2