The EU- Sri Lanka Working Group on Trade and Economic Cooperation was held on 06th February 2024 virtually with the participation of high level delegates from the two sides.
The Session was Co-Chaired by Ms. Dora Correia, Director (trade relations with Africa, Caribbean and Pacific regions, South and South-East Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Trade and Sustainable Development, the Green Deal) of the Directorate General for Trade of the European Commission from the EU side and Mr. A.M.P.M.B. Atapattu, Secretary, Ministry of Trade, Commerce and Food Security from the Sri Lanka side. H.E. Mr. Chandana Weerasena, Ambassador Designate of Sri Lanka to Belgium, Luxumberg and the EU, and the EU Delegation in Colombo also attended the Session. The two sides engaged in productive deliberations to enhance bilateral trade ties between the EU and Sri Lanka.
With the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers, negotiation of FTA with Thailand was commenced in 2018. Since initiation , nine rounds of extensive negotiations between the two countries were held on 14 Chapters & relevant Annexes of the agreement. The Sri Lanka Thailand Free Trade Agreement (SLTFTA) is comprehensive in scope and covers areas on Trade in Goods, Rules of Origin, Sanitary and PhytoSanitory Measures, Technical Barriers to Trade , Trade Remedies, Trade in Services, Investment, Customs Procedure and Trade Facilitation , Economic Cooperation, Intellectual Property, Initial Provisions, Institutional and Final Provisions, Transparency and Dispute Settlement.
· Subsequent to the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers, the SLTFTA was signed on the 3rd February 2024, in Sri Lanka.
- PREAMBLE
- CHAPTER 1 : INITIAL PROVISIONS AND GENERAL DEFINITIONS
- CHAPTER 2 : TRADE IN GOODS
- CHAPTER 3 : RULES OF ORIGIN
- CHAPTER 4 : CUSTOMS PROCEDURES AND TRADE FACILITATION
- CHAPTER 5 : SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES
- CHAPTER 6 : TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE
- CHAPTER 7 : TRADE REMEDIES
- CHAPTER 8 : TRADE IN SERVICES
- CHAPTER 9 : INVESTMENT
- CHAPTER 10 : INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
- CHAPTER 11 : ECONOMIC COOPERATION
- CHAPTER 12 : TRANSPARENCY
- CHAPTER 13 : DISPUTE SETTLEMENT
- CHAPTER 14 : INSTITUTIONAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS