India's Strategic SOP: Mastering Free Trade Negotiations

India aims to finalize its standard operating procedure for free trade agreement negotiations by year-end. Spearheaded by the commerce ministry, this multi-ministerial document standardizes negotiation processes and incorporates past learnings and best practices. It will be reviewed every 2-3 years for updates and is currently circulated among 17 ministries for input.

The Indian government is making strides towards finalizing its standard operating procedure, or SOP, for free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations by the end of this year, according to a commerce ministry official.

This internal document seeks to standardize the negotiation process for trade pacts, drawing on previous experiences and best practices. The commerce ministry plans to consult 17 other ministries, including agriculture, labour, and environment, to gather a comprehensive perspective, since FTA negotiation is inherently a multi-ministerial task.

As part of its ongoing efforts, the ministry organized a 'Chintan Shivir'—a two-day strategy session focused on FTA strategies, SOPs, and the broader trade vision for 2047. The workshop also addressed challenges such as carbon border adjustments, supply chain disruptions, and integrating innovative areas like digital trade and AI into future agreements.

(With inputs from agencies.)