India's $100 bn trade pact with EFTA has a lot for Indians wanting to work in Europe

Posted on:
Key Points

India and the members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA)Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerlandsigned a historic $100 billion free trade pact on Sunday, under which Indian workers will enjoy relaxed visa requirements...

As part of the trade and economic partnership agreement, which will kick in after a few months, countries such as Switzerland have offered to open up over 120 of 156 services, including audit and accounting, legal, IT and healthcare for Indian companies, with easier visa rules allowed for workers and professionals from the country...

In an interview with TOI, Swiss state secretary for economic affairs Helene Budliger Artieda said, it is all about creating legal services...

Meanwhile, under the new pact, domestic customers will get access to high-quality Swiss products such as watches, chocolates, biscuits, and clocks at lower prices as India will phase out customs duties on these goods over a period of time...

According to an analysis of the TEPA documents by economic think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), India has allowed tariff concession to a number of products imported from Switzerland under the agreement...

You might be interested in

India-Europe's 16-year journey to historic FTA: Key things to know about pact

10, Mar, 24

India and Europe's trade bloc finally signed the free trade agreement on Sunday, which has been in the works for 16 years.

India-UK Free Trade Agreement: Impact on students planning to go abroad for higher education

06, May, 23

India has been pushing for the UK to relax its visa restrictions and more approvals for Indian students.

India, EFTA ink free-trade agreement; USD 100 billion investment target in next 15 years

10, Mar, 24

European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. India and the four-nation European bloc EFTA on Sunday signed...

India, UK seeking equal treatment for services sector companies under proposed free trade agreement: Offic

18, Jun, 23

The two countries are looking at promoting trade in services through this agreement, negotiations for which was launched on January 13, 2021. As many as ten rounds of talks have been completed till June this year and both sides are aiming to conclude the negotiations at the earliest.

India is not seeking permanent immigration visas from any country in FTAs: Goyal

13, Apr, 23

India is not seeking permanent immigration visas from any country under a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and is only looking to engage with trading partners on mobility like temporary visas for students, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said.

Your long wait for US tourist visa appointments is finally over

29, Mar, 23

There have been a growing concerns in India over the long waiting period for first time visa applicants, especially for those applying under B1 (business) and B2 (tourist) categories. The waiting period of first time B1/B2 visa applicants in India was close to 1,000 days in October last year.

India eyes UAE deal for CAs, dentists, other professionals

14, Jun, 23

As per the Indian embassy in the UAE, the number of resident Indian nationals was estimated to be 3.5 million in 2021. Among Indian states, Kerala is the most represented, followed by Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

Indian official delegation heads for London for FTA talks

20, Feb, 24

Negotiations for the India-UK free trade agreement are in the final stage. A high-level Indian delegation is heading to London to resolve remaining issues on goods, services, and rules of origin. The negotiations cover 26 chapters, including market access, skilled professionals, and import duties. The bilateral trade between India and the UK increased to USD 20.36 billion in 2022-23.

US visitor visa interview wait time in India cut by 60 per cent this year, says official

29, Mar, 23

The official said that the visitor visa interview wait time has decreased by 60 per cent just in the last couple of months as a result of all these efforts.

India, UK working to iron out issues on IPRs, rules of origin under proposed FTA

15, Jul, 23

India and the UK are addressing differences over intellectual property rights and rules of origin in their ongoing negotiations for a free trade agreement. The countries have closed 14 of the agreement's 26 chapters, with issues surrounding environment, labour, and digital trade occurring in five remaining chapters.