European Union free trade agreements
The European Union has concluded free trade agreements and other agreements with a trade component with many countries worldwide and is negotiating with many others.
The European Union negotiates free trade deals on behalf of all of its member states, as the member states have granted the EU has an "exclusive competence" to conclude trade agreements. Even so, member states governments control every step of the process.
- Before negotiations start, member states governments 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 upon ratification in each member state parliament, member states governments decide whether the agreement should be concluded and enter into effect.
Trade agreements in force
Agreements provisionally applied
Agreements signed (awaiting application)
| State | Negotiations Concluded | Signed | Provisional Application | Ratification | Notes |
Agreements finalised (negotiations concluded, but not signed)
| State | Negotiations Concluded | Signed | Provisional Application | Ratification | Notes |
| West Africa Benin Burkina Faso Cabo Verde Côte d'Ivoire Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Liberia Mali Mauritania Niger Nigeria Senegal Sierra Leone Togo | 6 February 2014 | Signed by 15 out of 16 West African partner countries and the EU | Economic Partnership Agreement | ||
| Eastern African Community members Burundi Kenya Rwanda Tanzania Uganda | 16 October 2014 | Signed by 2 out of 5 East African partner countries and the EU | Ratified by and | Economic Partnership Agreement | |
| Mercosur Argentina Brazil Paraguay Uruguay | 28 June 2019 | No | European Union–Mercosur Free Trade Agreement. Part of an Association Agreement. |
Negotiating
- Gulf Cooperation Council since 1990, negotiations are suspended since 2008
- India Negotiations initiated in 2007 on EU-India Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement are stalled as of March 2015 due to different levels of ambition for a future deal.
- ASEAN as a group since July 2007 and the following individual countries:
- * Indonesia since September 2016
- * Malaysia since October 2010, suspended since April 2012 due to different levels of ambition for a future deal
- * Thailand since March 2013, suspended since May 2014 due to the military "takeover"
- * Philippines since December 2015, on hold since February 2017
- Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area negotiations:
- * Morocco since March 2013, suspended since April 2014 due to an ongoing impact assessment by Morocco
- * Tunisia since October 2015
- Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership since July 2013
- Australia since June 2018
- New Zealand since June 2018
- European Union Association Agreements negotiations with Andorra, Monaco and San Marino since 2016
- Pacific EPA Accession negotiations with Tonga since 2018 and Tuvalu since 2019
- United Kingdom since 1 February 2020. If agreed, it will enter into force after the end the transitional arrangements set out in the Withdrawal Agreement. The Johnson government has set a target date of 31st December 2020 for the end of the transitional arrangements.
Competence