EU Free trade agreements European Union Agreement in force Agreement provisionally applied

The European Union has concluded free trade agreements (FTAs). The European Union negotiates free trade deals on behalf of all of its member states, as the member states have granted the EU 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):

  • Before negotiations start, member states' governments (via the Council of Ministers) 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 (in case the agreement covers areas other than trade such as investment protection) upon ratification in each member state parliament, member states' governments decide whether the agreement should be concluded and enter into effect.

The list below only includes countries that have an FTA with the European Union according to the WTO.

Free trade agreements in force

StateNo of jurisdictions representedSignedProvisional applicationIn force sinceNotesRelations
Albania1200620062009SAANegotiating for EU accession
Algeria120022005Euro-mediterranean AAAlgeria–EU relations
Andean Community Colombia Ecuador Peru320122013, 20172024FTA
Andorra119901991Customs unionAndorra–EU relations
Bosnia and Herzegovina1200820082015SAACandidate for EU accession
Central America Costa Rica Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama El Salvador6201220132024AACentral America–European Union Association Agreement
Chile12002, 20232003, 20242005 2025AA, Interim & Updated EU-Chile AA
Egypt120012004Euro-mediterranean AAEgypt–EU relations
Faroe Islands119961997Autonomous entity of DenmarkFaroe Islands-EU relations
Georgia1201420142016AA incl DCFTAGeorgia–EU relations and Candidate for EU accession
Iceland119921994EEAIceland–EU relations
Israel1199519962000Euro-Mediterranean AAIsrael–EU relations
Japan120182019Economic Partnership AgreementJapan-EU relations
Jordan119972002Euro-Mediterranean AAJordan–EU relations
Kenya120232024Economic Partnership Agreement
Lebanon120022006Euro-Mediterranean AALebanon–EU relations
Liechtenstein119921995EEALiechtenstein–EU relations
Mexico119972000FTAMexico–EU relations
Moldova1201420142016Moldova–European Union Association Agreement incl European Union–Moldova Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade AreaMoldova–EU relations and Negotiating for EU accession
Montenegro1200720082010SAANegotiating for EU accession
Morocco119962000Euro-Mediterranean AAMorocco–EU relations
New Zealand120232024FTANew Zealand–EU relations
North Macedonia1200120012004SAANegotiating for EU accession
Norway119921994EEANorway–EU relations
EU's Overseas Countries and Territories1320012001Association of the OCTs with the EU
Palestinian Authority119971997Euro-Mediterranean AAPalestine–EU relations
San Marino1199119922002Customs unionSan Marino–EU relations
Serbia1200820102013SAANegotiating for EU accession
Singapore120182019FTASingapore–EU relations
South Africa1199920002004ATDCSouth Africa–EU relations
South Korea1201020112015FTASouth Korea–EU relations
Switzerland119721973Trade agreementSwitzerland–EU relations
Syria119771977Cooperation agreement (partially suspended in 2011)Syria–EU relations
Tunisia119951998Euro-Mediterranean AATunisia–EU relations
Turkey119951995Customs unionTurkey–EU relations
Ukraine1201420162017Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement incl DCFTAUkraine–EU relations and Negotiating for EU accession
United Kingdom1202020212021Trade and Cooperation AgreementUnited Kingdom–EU relations
Vietnam120192020EVFTAVietnam–EU relations

Free trade agreements provisionally applied

StateSignedProvisional ApplicationRatificationNotesRelations
Cameroon2009201421 / 30Interim agreement with a view to an EPA
Canada2016201718 / 30Comprehensive Economic and Trade AgreementCanada-EU relations
CARIFORUM States Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Dominica Dominican Republic Grenada Guyana Haiti Jamaica Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago2008200837 / 44EPA - Croatia acceded to the agreement on 28 November 2017
Côte d'Ivoire2009201624 / 30Stepping Stone EPA
Eastern and Southern Africa States Comoros Madagascar Mauritius Seychelles Zimbabwe20092012, 20195 / 35Interim Agreement for establishing a framework for an EPA
Ghana2016201611 / 30Stepping Stone EPA
Pacific States Fiji Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands20092009, 2014, 2018, 20204 / 5Interim Partnership Agreement
South African Development Community (SADC) members Botswana Lesotho Mozambique Namibia South Africa Eswatini2016201620 / 35Economic Partnership Agreement

Negotiated free trade agreements

Ongoing negotiations as of January 2026:

Competence

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 should be approved by the EU as well as by each of the union's member states. This court decision has resulted in a new architecture of external trade negotiations which will have two components:

  • a free trade agreement - related exclusively to trade matters - which can be adopted at the EU level;
  • an investment agreement - containing investment, arbitration and other non-trade provisions - which needs to be ratified by the member states as well.

Impact to consumers

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.

See also

Notes

External links

  • , EU trade relationships by country/region, European Commission
  • , Animated infographics, European Parliamentary Research Service
  • A collaborative publication with over 20 articles on the global implications of the TAFTA | TTIP
  • Koeth, Wolfgang (8 December 2014)