EFTA and Thailand advance discussions in ninth round of free trade negotiations

The EFTA States - Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland - and Thailand met in Bangkok from 23 to 26 April 2024 for the ninth round of negotiations towards a comprehensive free trade agreement.

Ambassador Markus Schlagenhof, Delegate of the Federal Council for Trade Agreements at the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, acted as the EFTA spokesperson, while Thailand's delegation was led by Director General Chotima Iemsawasdikul from the Department of Trade Negotiations within the Ministry of Commerce of Thailand.

Throughout the week, experts covered a range of areas with the aim of resolving outstanding matters, including in trade in goods, rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, trade in services, investment, government procurement, cooperation and capacity building, trade remedies, legal and horizontal issues and intellectual property rights. Heads of delegation also gathered on several occasions to take stock of the progress made and challenges ahead.

Both sides welcomed the advancements and maintained a positive outlook throughout the talks. The next round of negotiations, scheduled for August 2024, aims to further advance discussions with the aim of concluding negotiations before the end of the year.

A report of the round will be made available soon.

Economic relations between the EFTA States and Thailand

In 2023, bilateral EFTA-Thailand merchandise trade exceeded USD 3.5 billion. Clocks and watches, fish and crustaceans, and pharmaceutical products were the primary exports from EFTA to Thailand, while electrical machinery, mechanical appliances, clocks and watch parts, and vehicles were the primary imports from Thailand.

Read more about merchandise trade between EFTA and Thailand here.