EU’s dense web of non-tariff barriers often blunt impact of tariff cuts; FTA should...

Key Highlights

• The talks started in 2007.
• The President of the European Council, Antonio Luis Santos da Costa, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will be on a state visit to India from January 25-27.
• They are chief guests at the 77th Republic Day celebrations.
• The barriers faced by Indian products in the EU include regulatory delays in pharmaceutical approvals, stringent sanitary and phytosanitary (related to plants and animals) rules affecting food and agricultural exports such as buffalo meat, and complex testing, certification and conformity-assessment requirements.
• Agricultural exports such as basmati rice, spices and tea are frequently rejected or subjected to heightened inspections due to sharply lowered EU pesticide residue limits, while marine exports face higher sampling rates over antibiotic concerns, the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said.