EU-Singapore Finalize Free Trade Agreement

October 31, 2014 Posted by ASEAN Briefing Reading Time: 3 minutes

SINGAPORE – The European Union (EU) and Singapore have finalized their negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Singapore expects that exporters of electronics, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and processed food products will especially benefit from the completion of the FTA.

Negotiations for the FTA began in 2010 and were all but completed by 2013, however, the issue of investment protection held up proceedings until recently.

Negotiators on both sides hailed the completion of the agreement as a key step in strengthening their economic relationship. EU Trade Commissioner, Karel De Gucht, summed things up succinctly by stating, “Now, we have a comprehensive agreement which is a gateway to this important region in Asia. It will help boost economic growth, investment, and job creation in the EU. It will help open the door for Europe to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) market with 600 million consumers.”

The importance of ASEAN continues to grow, with 2015 set to see the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). The AEC seeks to “transform ASEAN into a single market and production base, a highly competitive economic region, a region of equitable economic development, and a region fully integrated into the global economy.” Collectively, ASEAN represents a market of some 600 million people, with a combined GDP of about US$2.5 trillion and upwards of US$1.5 trillion in trade flowing throughout the region.

Key takeaways from the EU-Singapore FTA include:

The EU and Singapore have committed to ensuring a stable and fair regime for foreign investors, while also keeping the right to regulate in the public’s interest.
EU exporters will be granted immediate duty-free access to the Singaporean market for all products.
The EU will eliminate virtually all tariffs over a five-year period.

In 2013, Singapore was the EU’s 15^th largest trading partner and second largest Asian investor into the EU. In turn, the EU makes up around 10 percent of Singapore’s trade volumes and is the largest contributor of FDI.

The EU is also currently negotiating FTAs with Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email asean@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com.

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