NEW DELHI: India could finalise an interim trade agreement with the United States by mid-March, members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs were informed on Tuesday. This update came after detailed briefings by the Foreign Secretary and senior officials from the Ministry of Commerce on India’s ongoing negotiations with the US and the European Union regarding a Free Trade Agreement.
MPs reportedly raised questions on various issues, including the protection of agriculture and labour-intensive sectors, as well as the predictability and benefits of the trade pact. The committee reviewed the progress of both the India-US interim trade agreement and the broader India-EU trade deal, with MPs engaging extensively with officials during the meeting.
Congress MP and committee chairman Shashi Tharoor said the bulk of the discussion centred around these two trade tracks, with strong participation from MPs across different parties. “Approximately 17 or 18 MPs had questions. We engaged the Foreign Secretary and the Chief Negotiator from the Commerce Ministry fully. They responded in great detail to our questions and concerns,” Tharoor stated.
He added that while the discussions were governed by confidentiality rules, the briefing provided greater clarity on the expected timelines. “Given what they have told us, we’re looking forward to the interim agreement being finalised by the middle of next month. When that comes out, I think some of the questions and doubts that people have may be addressed,” he said, describing the meeting as “genuinely very good.”
AAP MP Raghav Chadha confirmed that officials made detailed presentations on both the India-US and India-EU negotiations. “They provided the entire presentation regarding the India-US interim trade agreement. There was also a detailed discussion on the India-EU trade deal and its key aspects,” he said.
Chadha also highlighted the strong attendance at the meeting, with nearly 90 per cent of members present, and noted that officials from the foreign ministry, including the Foreign Secretary, addressed the questions in detail. However, he acknowledged that some aspects would need to be assessed as the negotiations progress.