Discuss how India's shift towards bilateral FTAs (UAE, Australia, EU, UK) reflects a strategic response to the stalling of multilateral trade negotiations.

Q. Discuss how India's shift towards bilateral FTAs (UAE, Australia, EU, UK) reflects a strategic response to the stalling of multilateral trade negotiations. (15 marks, 250-350 words)

With the WTO's Doha round deadlocked and its Appellate Body non-functional, India has pivoted from multilateral rule-making to a dense bilateral network — from the UAE CEPA (2022) to the India–EU FTA concluded in January 2026 [1][2]. This shift is less an abandonment of multilateralism than a pragmatic hedge for market access, supply-chain security and strategic alignment.

From multilateral stalemate to bilateral speed - Doha's collapse over agriculture and public stockholding removed the multilateral route to market access; India instead concluded the UAE CEPA (May 2022) and Australia ECTA (December 2022) in record negotiating time [3]. - The India–EFTA TEPA, signed March 2024, entered into force on 1 October 2025, reviving a track stalled for years [4]. - India now has a network of 13 RTAs/FTAs in force, negotiated bilaterally rather than through WTO rounds [5].

Deepening market access and investment - India–UK CETA (July 2025) and the India–EU FTA (concluded 2026) secure duty-free access for over 99% of Indian exports by value — concessions unattainable at the WTO [1][2]. - TEPA embeds a first-of-its-kind investment commitment of USD 100 billion over 15 years with 1 million direct jobs, a "trade-plus" outcome no multilateral text offers [4].

Strategic and supply-chain logic - New-generation FTAs cover services, digital trade, IPR and sustainability — areas frozen in WTO negotiations. - Partner choice signals economic statecraft: Gulf energy security, Indo-Pacific supply-chain diversification, and Western technology access after India's 2019 exit from RCEP.

Institutional caution - Each FTA carries a built-in Joint Review Mechanism, and reviews of AITIGA and the Japan CEPA reflect learning from import-driven deficits with Asian partners [5].

India's bilateralism is therefore a calibrated second-best: it secures immediate gains while preserving space for reformed multilateralism. Coupling these agreements with PLI-backed competitiveness and better rules-of-origin utilisation would ensure FTAs deliver export growth, aligning trade policy with the goal of a developed India by 2047.

(~330 words)

Sources: 1. India's achievements in Free Trade Agreements for the year 2025-26, PIB — FTA sequence 2025-26; UK CETA duty-free access 2. India–EU Free Trade Agreement Concluded: A Strategic Breakthrough, PIB — EU FTA concluded January 2026; 99%+ export coverage 3. 2024 Year End Review for Department of Commerce, PIB — UAE CEPA (2022) and Australia ECTA (2022) 4. India–EFTA TEPA to come into effect on 01 October 2025, PIB — TEPA entry into force; USD 100 bn investment, 1 million jobs 5. India's Current Engagements in RTAs, Department of Commerce — 13 RTAs/FTAs in force; AITIGA review and Joint Review Mechanism