Free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations between Thailand and the European Union are on the right track, despite past political uncertainties, said Bernd Lange, Chair of the Committee on International Trade and a member of the European Parliament.
While the Thai government aims to finalise the FTA by the end of this year, Lange noted that, although negotiations to date have shown positive progress, it takes time to reach a conclusion.
“Previous rounds have to be sufficient for both the EU and Thailand. Such a comprehensive trade agreement has around 500 pages, though, containing various conditions and articles. So, it's not easy to conclude. Nevertheless, to my knowledge, the progress is really good. Let's see how fast we can conclude the agreement with Thailand,” Lange said in an online interview with Thai PBS World.
Negotiations have taken many years, due to Thailand’s past lack of political development and democratic structure. Lange expressed confidence, however, that a final deal could be reached soon.
Negotiations for an EU–Thailand FTA began in March 2013, but were suspended in 2014 following the military coup led by General Prayut Chan-o-cha.
The EU and Thailand announced the relaunch of the negotiations in March 2023.
Amid global economic uncertainties, mostly stemming from US tariff policies, Lange stressed that cooperation between the EU and ASEAN countries is essential in mitigating their impacts.
While an FTA between the EU and the entire ASEAN bloc is not feasible, Lange led a delegation to Indonesia earlier this month to accelerate a bilateral agreement.
“The EU already has agreements with Singapore and Vietnam, and investment from the EU into ASEAN has increased by 20%. An agreement with Indonesia is also under negotiation. We hope to cooperate with the ASEAN community on renewable energy projects,” he said.
To strengthen collaboration with ASEAN, Lange emphasised that the EU is a reliable and predictable trading partner, operating under a system of free and open trade, adding that “inside the European Union you will never see such an uncertain and chaotic tariff policy, such as that we are witnessing in the United States at the moment.”
By Franc Han Shih, Thai PBS World
Full interview with Chair Bernd Lange:
