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India-EFTA partnership in focus
સમાચારમાં કેમ?
Four countries, one bloc outside the EU: the EFTA membership list India's TEPA tests in Prelims
India-EFTA TEPA seen as a base for wider India-Europe cooperation.
Why it matters: general awareness
What you need to know
2 મિનિટ
The India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement, signed with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, is being projected as a template for trade, technology, energy and Arctic cooperation.
EFTA is a bloc of European countries outside the European Union.
સ્રોત: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
મુખ્ય તથ્યો
Remember these
- EFTA members: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland
- EFTA is a bloc of European countries outside the European Union
- India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) is signed with all four EFTA states
- TEPA is being projected as a template for trade, technology, energy and Arctic cooperation
- Sweden is an EU member, not an EFTA member
પ્રિલિમ્સ · મેઇન્સ
How the exam will ask it
પ્રિલિમ્સ
- EFTA is a free trade grouping of European countries that are not members of the European Union.
- India's TEPA with EFTA covers Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
- Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are EFTA states; Sweden belongs to the EU, not EFTA.
મેઇન્સ
GS2 (International Relations) and GS3 (Trade). India's TEPA with EFTA is an example of a free trade agreement with non-EU European economies, and it is being projected as a base for wider India-Europe cooperation in trade, technology, energy and the Arctic. Its implications are market access and diversified partnerships; the way forward is to turn the agreement into actual trade and investment flows and use it to deepen engagement with the wider European region.
Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
The European Free Trade Association (EFTA), with which India has a trade and economic partnership agreement, is a bloc of countries outside the European Union. How many of the following countries are members of EFTA?
- Iceland
- Norway
- Sweden
- Liechtenstein
- Only one
- Only two
- Only three
- All four
જવાબ જુઓ
જવાબ: C — Correct: Only three — Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein are EFTA members; Sweden belongs to the EU, so the count is three. • Only one — wrong: Three of the four are members, so 'only one' undercounts. • Only two — wrong: Three of the four are members, so 'only two' undercounts. • All four — wrong: Sweden is an EU member, not an EFTA member, so 'all four' overcounts.
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