The European Union has concluded free trade agreements (FTAs)[1] and other agreements with a trade component with many countries worldwide and is negotiating with many others.[2] 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 (via the Council of the European Union, whose members are national ministers from each national government):
No | State | No of jurisdictions represented[a] | Signed | Provisional application |
In force since | Notes | Relations |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ![]() |
1 | 2003 | 2004[3][b] | Customs union | ||
2. | ![]() |
1 | 2006 | 2006[c] | 2009[4] | SAA | Negotiating for EU accession |
3. | ![]() |
1 | 2002 | 2005[5] | Euro-mediterranean AA | ||
4. | ![]() |
1 | 1990 | 1991[6] | Customs union | Andorra–EU relations | |
5. | ![]() |
1 | 2008 | 2008[c] | 2015[7] | SAA | Potential candidate for EU accession |
6. | ![]() |
1 | 2002 | 2003 | 2005[8] | AA[9] | |
7. | ![]() |
1 | 2001 | 2004[10] | Euro-mediterranean AA | ||
8. | ![]() |
1 | 1996 | 1997[11] | Autonomous entity of Denmark | Faroe Islands-EU relations | |
9. | ![]() |
1 | 2014 | 2014 | 2016[12] | AA incl DCFTA | Georgia–EU relations |
11 | ![]() |
1 | 1992 | 1994[13] | EEA | Iceland–EU relations | |
13. | ![]() |
1 | 1995 | 1996[c][14] | 2000[15] | Euro-Mediterranean AA | Israel–EU relations |
14. | ![]() |
1 | 2018[16] | 2019[17] | Economic Partnership Agreement [18] | Japan-EU relations | |
16. | ![]() |
1 | 1997 | 2002[19] | Euro-Mediterranean AA | Jordan–EU relations | |
17. | ![]() |
1 | 2015 | 2016[20] | SAA | Potential candidate for EU accession | |
18. | ![]() |
1 | 2002 | 2006[21] | Euro-Mediterranean AA | Lebanon–EU relations | |
19. | ![]() |
1 | 1992 | 1995[13] | EEA | Liechtenstein–EU relations | |
20. | ![]() |
1 | 1997 | 2000[22] | FTA[23][24] | Mexico–EU relations | |
21. | ![]() |
1 | 2014 | 2014 | 2016[25] | Moldova–European Union Association Agreement incl DCFTA | Moldova–EU relations |
22. | ![]() |
1 | 1958 | Franco-Monegasque Customs Convention (customs union)[26] | Monaco - European Union relations | ||
23. | ![]() |
1 | 2007 | 2008[c] | 2010[27] | SAA | Negotiating for EU accession |
24. | ![]() |
1 | 1996 | 2000[28] | Euro-Mediterranean AA | Morocco–EU relations | |
25. | ![]() |
1 | 2001 | 2001[c] | 2004[29] | SAA | Negotiating for EU accession |
26. | ![]() |
1 | 1992 | 1994[13] | EEA | Norway–EU relations | |
27. | ![]() |
13 | 2001 | 2001[30][31] | Association of the OCTs with the EU | ||
28. | ![]() |
1 | 1997 | 1997[32] | Euro-Mediterranean AA | Palestine–EU relations | |
29. | ![]() |
1 | 1991 | 1992[d] | 2002[33] | Customs union | San Marino–EU relations |
30. | ![]() |
1 | 2008 | 2010[c] | 2013[34] | SAA | Negotiating for EU accession |
31. | ![]() |
1 | 2018[35] | 2019[36] | FTA[37] | ||
32. | ![]() |
1 | 1999 | 2000[38] | 2004[39] | ATDC[e] | South Africa–EU relations |
33. | ![]() |
1 | 2010 | 2011 | 2015[40] | FTA[41] | South Korea–EU relations |
34. | ![]() |
1 | 1972 | 1973[42] | Trade agreement | Switzerland–EU relations | |
35. | ![]() |
1 | 1995 | 1998[43] | Euro-Mediterranean AA | ||
36. | ![]() |
1 | 1995[f] | 1995[44] | Customs union | EU–Turkey relations | |
37. | ![]() |
1 | 2014 | 2016 | 2017[45][46] | Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement incl DCFTA | Ukraine–EU relations |
38. | ![]() |
1 | 2020 | 2021[47] | 2021.[48] | Trade and Cooperation Agreement | United Kingdom–EU relations |
39. | ![]() |
1 | 2019 | 2020[49] | EVFTA[50] | Vietnam–European Union relations |
State | Signed | Provisional Application |
Ratification | Notes | Relations |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
CARIFORUM States![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
2008 | 2008 | 37 / 44 [51]
|
EPA - Croatia acceded to the agreement on 28 November 2017 | |
Eastern and Southern Africa States![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
2009 | 2012, 2019 | 5 / 35 [53]
|
Interim Agreement for establishing a framework for an EPA | |
Central America![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
2012 | 2013 | 32 / 34 [54]
|
AA | |
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2009 | 2016 | 22 / 30 [55]
|
Stepping Stone EPA | |
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2012[56] | 2013 | 28 / 30 [57]
|
FTA[58] | |
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2009 | 2014 | 21 / 30 [59]
|
Interim agreement with a view to an EPA | |
Pacific States![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
2009 | 2009, 2014, 2018, 2020 | 4 / 5 [60]
|
Interim Partnership Agreement | |
South African Development Community members![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
2016 | 2016 | 19 / 35 [61]
|
Economic Partnership Agreement | |
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2016 | 2016[62] | 9 / 30 [62]
|
Stepping Stone EPA | |
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2016[63] | 2017[64] | 28 / 32 [65]
|
Accession to EU-Peru-Colombia Free Trade Agreement[66] | |
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2016 | 2017[67] | 16 / 30 [68]
|
Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement[69] |
State | Negotiations Concluded | Signed | Provisional Application |
Ratification | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Economic Community of West African States members![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
6 February 2014 | No | No | Economic Partnership Agreement[70][71] | |
Eastern African Community members![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
16 October 2014 | No | Ratified by ![]() ![]() |
Economic Partnership Agreement[72] | |
Mercosur![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
28 June 2019[73] | No | No | No | European Union–Mercosur free trade agreement. Part of an Association Agreement. |
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28 April 2020[74] | No | No | No | Updated Free Trade Agreement between Mexico and the European Union |
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30 December 2020[75] | No | No | No | Comprehensive Agreement on Investment |
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30 June 2022[76] | No | No | No | Free Trade Agreement |
State | New agreement being negotiated | Status |
---|---|---|
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Australia Agreement | Negotiations launched in 2018[77] |
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European Union Association Agreement | Negotiations launched in 2015[78] |
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Free Trade Agreement | Negotiations launched in 2016[77] |
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European Union Association Agreement | Negotiations launched in 2015[78] |
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Free Trade Agreement | Negotiations launched in 2015[77] |
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Economic Partnership Agreements as part of the Pacific States Interim Partnership Agreement | Informed the EU of its intention to accede to the EPA.[79] |
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Economic Partnership Agreements as part of the Pacific States Interim Partnership Agreement | Informed the EU of its intention to accede to the EPA.[80] |
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European Union Association Agreement | Negotiations launched in 2015[78] |
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Free Trade Agreement | Negotiations from 2007 to 2013;[81] restarted in 2022[82][83] |
Country or bloc | Agreement being negotiated | Status |
---|---|---|
Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf States ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Free Trade Agreement | Negotiations started in 1990, suspended since 2008[81] |
Central Africa![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Economic Partnership Agreement | Negotiations started in 2003, paused until further notice in 2011[81] |
Eastern and Southern Africa States
|
Economic Partnership Agreement | Negotiations started in 2004, paused until further notice in 2011[81] |
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Free Trade Agreement | Negotiations started in 2010, paused since 2012[81] |
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Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area | Negotiations started in 2013, on hold since 2014 at Morocco’s request[84] |
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Investment protection agreement | Negotiations launched in 2015[81] |
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Free Trade Agreement | Negotiations started in 2013, no negotiations scheduled since 2014 [81] |
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Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area | Negotiations launched in 2015, on hold since 2019[85] |
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Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership | Negotiations started in 2013, paused until further notice in 2016[81] |
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[86] should be approved by the EU as well as by each of the 28 states.[87] This court decision has resulted in a new architecture of external trade negotiations which will have two components:[88]
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.[89]