Thailand expects to wrap up FTA with EU this year, pushes visa-free entry
Thailand aims to reach a free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU) within this year while hoping to secure visa-free entry for Thai passport holders to Schengen countries, newly appointed Prime Minister’s Office Minister Jakkapong Sangmanee said.
“The FTA will not only stimulate economic growth in both regions, but also benefit their businesses and supply chain,” he said.
“To allow more convenient people-to-people connectivity, Thailand hopes for support from the EU to allow Thai nationals to enter [European countries] in the Schengen zone without the visa requirement.”
Jakkapong, who previously served as deputy foreign minister before the recent Cabinet reshuffle, said that Thailand and the EU held their first FTA talks in September last year in Brussels and in January in Bangkok. The third round of talks would be hosted by the EU in June, he added.
The minister said that over the past six decades of their ties, Thailand and the EU had worked together in multiple areas, including human rights, sustainable development, and climate change.
He added that both sides are now in the final stages of ratifying the Thailand-EU Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.
David Daly, the EU ambassador to Thailand, said that bilateral trade had reached 1 billion euros (39.5 billion baht) per week, and both sides were now in talks to conclude the FTA to raise the figures.
He pointed to strong people-to-people relationships, saying that the EU is second only to China this year in terms of the number of tourists visiting Thailand.
The envoy also said that EU investments in Thailand are growing as the regional grouping is the largest investor in the kingdom, creating more than 160,000 new jobs.
Daly voiced support for Thailand’s efforts to help resolve armed conflicts in Myanmar and praised the kingdom’s success in tackling the issue of illegal fishing.
