CEPA vs FTA vs CECA
India's Trade Agreement Taxonomy
A Free Trade Agreement (FTA) typically covers only tariff reduction on trade in goods between partner countries. A Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) or Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) goes further, integrating goods, services, investment, intellectual property rights, government procurement, and regulatory cooperation (including mutual recognition agreements) into a single, deeper package — these terms are used somewhat interchangeably by India's Ministry of Commerce depending on the treaty's specific scope. India's CEPA with Canada, if concluded, would follow the template of India's other recent "comprehensive" pacts.
- India-UAE CEPA (2022) was India's first major comprehensive deal in years, covering goods, services, investment, and digital trade, and entered into force in May 2022.
- India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), signed April 2022, entered into force December 2022, was structured as an interim agreement — a stepping stone toward a fuller India-Australia CECA that is still under negotiation.
- India also has long-standing CECAs with Singapore (2005) and South Korea (2010, upgraded 2023), demonstrating the terminology has been used flexibly across India's trade agreement history.
● Tracked since June 11, 2026 · last seen September 18, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes