New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have affirmed the commitment of both countries to seek to conclude FTA negotiations by March next year.
New Zealand has now held five rounds of negotiations with India and expect the next round will be held in the middle of August. Negotiations are proceeding steadily and updates over this period have been posted on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's website.
Are you a services firm?
The Ministry is particularly interested in hearing from businesses that export services to India – either through having a physical or personnel presence in India, having employees who travel to work in India or delivering services in India from New Zealand (e.g. via the internet).
If your business is involved in these activities, the Ministry’s keen to identify the ways in which the India FTA could make it easier for you.
It would like to hear about any regulatory barriers you have encountered in doing business in India. Examples of the common sorts of barriers New Zealand services exporters face include:
- restrictions on individuals (eg. difficulties in recognition of qualifications or obtaining business visas, requirements to obtain local licenses);
- restrictions on investors (eg. requirements to operate in joint ventures with local partners, requirements to employ locals or restrictions on the ability of New Zealanders to be transferred to work in subsidiaries or affiliates in India, local representation requirements for boards of directors, restrictions on the ability to invest in a new enterprise or invest equity in an Indian company); or
- financial or business restrictions (eg. restrictions on supplying services from New Zealand including via the internet, difficulties competing with local firms who benefit from government preferences, complex and discriminatory local regulations).
For More Information
Please send any questions or information on barriers to services trade with India, ideally by 12 August 2011, to:
Brad Burgess
Services Negotiator for the India FTA
[email protected]
