EU-India Bita: First step towards a SAARC economic space? an Indian perspective

Abstract

Since the opening up of the Indian economy in 1991 and the boom of the 2000s, there has been much increase in trade and investments with the rest of the world, and the EU in particular. Given the potential for economic interaction between the two economies, they have been negotiating a Bilateral Investment and Trade Agreement (BITA) that can have positive ramifications for both the economies and South Asia as such. This paper seeks to explore the economic potential of the BITA and the possible spillover impact for the SAARC region.