EU’s bilateral free trade agreements

The European Union has bilateral free trade agreements (FTA) with many countries. It is also currently negotiating several new agreements. The scope of the agreements varies, but particularly the more recent trade agreements cover a wide range of trade-related matters in addition to the traditional trade in goods and services.

The liberalisation of agricultural trade plays a key role in almost all agreements and negotiations. Agriculture and food matters are also related to the sections concerning sanitary and phytosanitary measures and negotiations on the protection of geographical indications. Unlike WTO negotiations, bilateral trade agreements usually do not include provisions on aid to agriculture.

The EU is currently negotiating free trade agreements with, among others, Indonesia, India, Thailand, Malaysia, and Australia. A political agreement on a partnership deal was reached with the MERCOSUR group in 2024.

In Finland, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has the overall responsibility for trade policy and bilateral agreements, and the European Commission represents the EU in FTA negotiations. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry actively participates in the agreement preparations, particularly in matters concerning agriculture and SPS issues.

Useful external websites

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade: countries and regions