EU and Thailand eye ambitious trade deal
Both sides want to protect their own fishery industries, which is proving to be major stumbling block. And Bangkok says the EU is asking for a more comprehensive and higher-caliber deal than Thailand has entered into with any of its existing free trade pacts.
The first round of negotiations took place last September in Brussels. The EU is Thailand’s fourth largest trading partner, after China, the US and Japan, and bilateral trade was worth around €32 billion ($34.8 billion) in the first 10 months of 2023.