Free trade agreements of the European Union
Overview of free trade agreements in the European Union
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The European Union has concluded free trade agreements (FTAs).[1] The European Union negotiates free trade deals on behalf of all of its member states, as the member states have granted the EU an "exclusive competence" to conclude trade agreements. Even so, member states' governments control every step of the process (via the Council of the European Union, whose members are national ministers from each national government):
- Before negotiations start, member states' governments (via the Council of Ministers) approve the negotiating mandate;
- During negotiations, member states' governments are regularly briefed on the progress of negotiations and can update the negotiations mandate or suspend negotiations;
- Upon conclusion of negotiations, member states' governments decide whether the agreement should be signed;
- After approval from the European Parliament and (in case the agreement covers areas other than trade such as investment protection) upon ratification in each member state parliament, member states' governments decide whether the agreement should be concluded and enter into effect.
European Union
Agreement in force
Agreement provisionally applied
The list below only includes countries that have an FTA with the European Union according to the WTO.[1]
Free trade agreements in force
| State | No of jurisdictions represented[a] | Signed | Provisional application | In force since | Notes | Relations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Albania |
1 | 2006 | 2006[b] | 2009[2] | SAA | Negotiating for EU accession |
 Algeria |
1 | 2002 | 2005[3] | Euro-mediterranean AA | Algeria–EU relations | |
Andean Community Colombia Ecuador Peru |
3 | 2012[4] | 2013, 2017 | 2024[5][6] | FTA[7][8] | |
 Andorra |
1 | 1990 | 1991[9] | Customs union | Andorra–EU relations | |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina |
1 | 2008 | 2008[b] | 2015[10] | SAA | Candidate for EU accession |
Central America Costa Rica Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama El Salvador |
6 | 2012 | 2013 | 2024[11] | AA | Central America–European Union Association Agreement |
 Chile |
1 | 2002, 2023 | 2003, 2024 | 2005[12] 2025[13] | AA,[14] Interim & Updated EU-Chile AA | |
 Egypt |
1 | 2001 | 2004[15] | Euro-mediterranean AA | Egypt–EU relations | |
 Faroe Islands |
1 | 1996 | 1997[16] | Autonomous entity of Denmark | Faroe Islands-EU relations | |
 Georgia |
1 | 2014 | 2014 | 2016[17] | AA incl DCFTA | Georgia–EU relations and Candidate for EU accession |
 Iceland |
1 | 1992 | 1994[18] | EEA | Iceland–EU relations | |
 Israel |
1 | 1995 | 1996[b][19] | 2000[20] | Euro-Mediterranean AA | Israel–EU relations |
 Japan |
1 | 2018[21] | 2019[22] | Economic Partnership Agreement[23] | Japan-EU relations | |
 Jordan |
1 | 1997 | 2002[24] | Euro-Mediterranean AA | Jordan–EU relations | |
 Kenya |
1 | 2023 | 2024[25] | Economic Partnership Agreement | ||
 Kosovo |
1 | 2015[26] | 2016[25] | SAA | Potential candidate for EU accession | |
 Lebanon |
1 | 2002 | 2006[27] | Euro-Mediterranean AA | Lebanon–EU relations | |
 Liechtenstein |
1 | 1992 | 1995[18] | EEA | Liechtenstein–EU relations | |
 Mexico |
1 | 1997 | 2000[28] | FTA[29][30] | Mexico–EU relations | |
 Moldova |
1 | 2014 | 2014 | 2016[31] | Moldova–European Union Association Agreement incl European Union–Moldova Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area | Moldova–EU relations and Negotiating for EU accession |
 Montenegro |
1 | 2007 | 2008[b] | 2010[32] | SAA | Negotiating for EU accession |
 Morocco |
1 | 1996 | 2000[33] | Euro-Mediterranean AA | Morocco–EU relations | |
 New Zealand |
1 | 2023 | 2024[34] | FTA | New Zealand–EU relations | |
 North Macedonia |
1 | 2001 | 2001[b] | 2004[35] | SAA | Negotiating for EU accession |
 Norway |
1 | 1992 | 1994[18] | EEA | Norway–EU relations | |
 EU's Overseas Countries and Territories |
13 | 2001 | 2001[36][37] | Association of the OCTs with the EU | ||
 Palestinian Authority |
1 | 1997 | 1997[38] | Euro-Mediterranean AA | Palestine–EU relations | |
 San Marino |
1 | 1991 | 1992[c] | 2002[39] | Customs union | San Marino–EU relations |
 Serbia |
1 | 2008 | 2010[b] | 2013[40] | SAA | Negotiating for EU accession |
 Singapore |
1 | 2018[41] | 2019[42] | FTA[43] | Singapore–EU relations | |
 South Africa |
1 | 1999 | 2000[44] | 2004[45] | ATDC[d] | South Africa–EU relations |
 South Korea |
1 | 2010 | 2011 | 2015[46] | FTA[47] | South Korea–EU relations |
 Switzerland |
1 | 1972 | 1973[48] | Trade agreement | Switzerland–EU relations | |
 Syria |
1 | 1977 | 1977[e] | Cooperation agreement[49] | Syria–EU relations | |
 Tunisia |
1 | 1995 | 1998[50] | Euro-Mediterranean AA | Tunisia–EU relations | |
 Turkey |
1 | 1995[f] | 1995[51] | Customs union | Turkey–EU relations | |
 Ukraine |
1 | 2014 | 2016 | 2017[52][53] | Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement incl DCFTA | Ukraine–EU relations and Negotiating for EU accession |
 United Kingdom[g] |
1 | 2020 | 2021[54] | 2021[55] | Trade and Cooperation Agreement | United Kingdom–EU relations |
 Vietnam |
1 | 2019 | 2020[56] | EVFTA[57] | Vietnam–EU relations |
Free trade agreements provisionally applied
| State | Signed | Provisional Application | Ratification | Notes | Relations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cameroon |
2009 | 2014 | 22 / 30 [58] |
Interim agreement with a view to an EPA | |
 Canada |
2016 | 2017[59] | 18 / 30 [60] |
Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement[61] | Canada-EU relations |
CARIFORUM States Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Dominica Dominican Republic Grenada Guyana Haiti Jamaica Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago |
2008 | 2008 | 37 / 44 [62] |
EPA - Croatia acceded to the agreement on 28 November 2017 | |
 Côte d'Ivoire |
2009 | 2016 | 25 / 30 [63] |
Stepping Stone EPA | |
Eastern and Southern Africa States Comoros Madagascar Mauritius Seychelles Zimbabwe |
2009 | 2012, 2019 | 6 / 35 [64] |
Interim Agreement for establishing a framework for an EPA | |
 Ghana |
2016 | 2016[65] | 14 / 30 [65] |
Stepping Stone EPA | |
Mercosur Argentina Brazil Paraguay Uruguay |
2026 | 2026[66] | 5 / 6 [67] |
European Union–Mercosur free trade agreement | European Union–Mercosur relations |
Pacific States Fiji Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands |
2009 | 2009, 2014, 2018, 2020 | 4 / 5 [68] |
Interim Partnership Agreement | |
South African Development Community (SADC) members Botswana Lesotho Mozambique Namibia South Africa Eswatini |
2016 | 2016 | 22 / 35 [69] |
Economic Partnership Agreement |
Negotiated free trade agreements
Ongoing negotiations as of January 2026:[70]
- India–EU Free Trade Agreement
- Indonesia–EU Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement
- EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement[71]
- EU-United Arab Emirates Free Trade Agreement[72]
- EU-Philippines Free Trade Agreement[73]
- EU-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement[74]
- EU-Thailand Free Trade Agreement[75]
Competence
The European Court of Justice has held that investor-state arbitration provisions (including a dedicated tribunal planned by some free trade agreements) falls under competency shared between European Union and its member states and that for this reason, the ratification of such mixed agreements[76] should be approved by the EU as well as by each of the union's member states.[77] This court decision has resulted in a new architecture of external trade negotiations which will have two components:[78]
- a free trade agreement - related exclusively to trade matters - which can be adopted at the EU level;
- an investment agreement - containing investment, arbitration and other non-trade provisions - which needs to be ratified by the member states as well.
Impact to consumers
One study found that the trade agreements that the EU implemented over the period 1993-2013 have, on average, increased the quality of imported goods by 7% and therefore "lowered quality-adjusted prices by close to 7%," without having much of an impact on the non-adjusted price.[79]
See also
- Economic Partnership Agreements
- EU-ACP
- EUR.1 movement certificate
- Euro-Mediterranean free trade area
- European Union Association Agreement
- Everything but Arms
- Free trade agreements of the United Kingdom
- Free trade area
- Free trade areas in Europe
- List of bilateral free trade agreements
- List of free trade agreements
- List of the largest trading partners of the European Union
- Trade deal negotiation between the UK and EU (2020)
- Trade defence instrument
- United States free trade agreements
Notes
- Excluding the EU and its member states
- Entry into force of Interim Agreement
- Interim Agreement
- Agreement on Trade, Development and Cooperation
- Partially suspended between 2011 and 2026 in response to serious human rights violations by the regime of Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian Civil War
- Decision of the EC-Turkey Association Council
- Includes Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man with regards to trade in goods and fisheries. For Northern Ireland, a more comprehensive arrangement is in place with regards to trade in goods based on the Withdrawal Agreement.