Next round of India, U.K. talks for free trade agreement expected soon

Chief negotiators of India and the U.K. are expected to soon hold next round of talks for the proposed free trade agreement

Chief negotiators of India and the U.K. are expected to soon hold next round of talks for the proposed free trade agreement to iron out differences on issues such as automobiles, medical devices, and movement of professionals, an official said.

The official said that the U.K. team may come to New Delhi for the 14th round of negotiations so that the talks can be concluded at the earliest.

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"Virtual sessions are progressing. But we are planning for a full fledged round of talks. In the full round, both sides discuss all the chapters. Some 60-70 sessions happen parallelly," the official, who did not wish to be named, said.

Issues which need resolution include rules of origin; intellectual property rights (IPRs); social security agreement; duty concessions on electric vehicles, scotch whiskey, lamb meat, chocolates and certain confectionary items; liberalisation of norms in services sectors like banking and insurance.

Talks are also progressing on the proposed bilateral investment treaty (BIT).

The investment treaty is being negotiated as a separate agreement between India and the U.K..