India plans to hold bilateral talks on proposed free trade agreements (FTA) with the United Kingdom (UK), the European Union (EU) and Canada on the sidelines of a G20 meeting next week, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said on August 18.

The bilateral meetings between nations on the free trade pact will take place during the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting (TIMM), scheduled from August 23-25. Issues pertaining to trade logistics and World Trade Organisation (WTO) reforms will also be discussed, the secretary said.

The meeting will be preceded by the fourth and last Trade and Investment Working Group TIWG meeting under India’s G20 Presidency which will take place on August 21 and 22, 2023 in Jaipur

“This G20 ministerial meeting will be useful to conduct some important bilateral talks on FTAs. High-level meetings will happen with the UK, there will b discussions with Canada and some issues related to the EU will also be taken up,” Barthwal said on Friday on the sidelines of a briefing.

Discussions between New Delhi and UK, EU and Canada are ongoing for a free trade pact with each of these nations in a bid to facilitate greater and smoother movement of goods and services between them. With Britain, India is aiming to close negotiations on the FTA as early as September.

As of July 28, India and UK have achieved a broad consensus on trade of goods especially on the prickly issues of whiskey and automobiles. As many as 19 chapters of the total 26 have also been closed. Another round is underway at present from August 8 and will continue till August 25, Nidhi Mani Tripathi, Chief Negotiator for the FTA said during a press briefing on August 14.

Issues that continue to remain pending between New Delhi and the UK include those related to intellectual property rights, rules of origin, as well as on investment treaties.

Canada and India have concluded nine rounds of negotiations on the FTA so far, after relaunching talks in March 2022. Both sides have discussed various areas, including trade remedies, rules of origin, among others and intend to close negotiations as soon as possible. With the EU, several rounds of negotiations have already taken place on the free trade deal. India and the EU last month discussed outstanding chapters pertaining to trade in goods, trade in services, rules of origin and intellectual property rights, among others.