Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 November 2018
317. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the position regarding a free trade agreement between the EU and Thailand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47922/18]
View answerNegotiations for an EU-Thailand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) were launched in March 2013 and four rounds of negotiations were held. Following the military takeover of Thailand in 2014, political contacts, including FTA negotiations, between the EU and Thailand were suspended.
Thailand and the EU had finalised a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) in November 2013 to provide a comprehensive framework for EU-Thailand relations. It is the position of the EU and its Member States that the PCA will not be signed until a democratically elected government is in place in Thailand.
On 10 October 2017, Thai authorities issued a statement that a general election would be held in November 2018. The election is now expected to take place in February 2019.
On 11 December 2017, while reiterating the need for the urgent restoration of the democratic process and for improvements on human rights issues in Thailand, ministers at the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council decided to gradually resume political contacts at all levels. However, there are no specific plans to resume FTA negotiations with Thailand at this time.
Thailand is a member of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). The EU is working towards achieving a region-to-region FTA with ASEAN by first concluding FTAs with individual ASEAN members. The first of these was signed with Singapore in October and an FTA with Vietnam has also been successfully negotiated. Discussions with Indonesia are at an advanced stage and the EU hopes to conclude these negotiations during 2019.
