Overview
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade welcomes submissions from interested individuals, businesses and other interested stakeholders on the potential opportunities and impacts of an Australia-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), or Free Trade Agreement. Individuals, organisations and groups that make submissions will be registered as stakeholders by the Department for further consultation and follow up as appropriate.
Stakeholders are invited to consider and comment on the commercial, economic, regional and other impacts that could be expected to arise from a full CECA. In your submission, you may wish to focus on specific market access challenges and other issues of importance in doing business with India. Especially helpful would be information on tariff and non-tariff barriers to goods trade, barriers and other issues affecting services trade, and barriers to investment.
We welcome renewed submissions from interested parties that provided submissions for earlier CECA negotiations or for the AI-ECTA, or that provided related submissions during the negotiations for a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). We acknowledge circumstances may have changed in the time that has passed since earlier rounds and that stakeholders may wish to update or re-submit their earlier submissions.
Possible issues stakeholders may wish to address include:
- goods market access (tariffs and quotas)
- rule of origin (including associated procedures)
- non-tariff barriers to trade in goods (including technical barriers and customs issues)
- cross-border trade in services
- financial services
- investment, including investor-state dispute settlement
- government procurement
- intellectual property, including geographical indications
- barriers to trade in emerging and innovative industries e.g, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, IT incubators
- movement of persons
- competition policy
- sustainable development
The information stakeholders provide will assist the Government in determining Australia's key priorities for a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).,
Written submissions may take several forms — from a short email through to a more comprehensive analytical paper.
Submissions and confidentiality
All submissions will be treated as public and may be published on this website unless the author specifically requests that the submission, or part thereof, be handled in-confidence. Unless otherwise requested, DFAT will publish the submission and the name of the submitting organisation or individual on its website. DFAT will not edit submissions prior to publishing. All details that have been included in a submission, including contact information, will be available on the DFAT website.
Submitters may request that all, or part, of a submission be treated as confidential. Confidential material should be clearly identifiable and be provided in a separate attachment to non-confidential material.
By making a submission, the author(s) agree to their submission, or part thereof, being used by the Commonwealth of Australia for Commonwealth purposes.
Contact
Interested parties are encouraged to lodge their submissions through one of the following options:
- Email: indiafta@dfat.gov.au
- Mail:
Coordinator
Australia-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement
Free Trade Agreements Division
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
RG Casey Building
John McEwen Crescent
Barton ACT 0221