Several of India’s regulatory and certification systems already enjoy international recognition and should be actively advanced in FTA negotiations.
| Photo Credit:
metamorworks
India is signing Free Trade Agreements at a rapid clip. Industry is upbeat, exporters are hopeful, and the spotlight is firmly on tariff cuts. But in today’s world, tariffs are no longer the biggest hurdle to market access. The real barriers are the technical regulations, product standards, and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) rules that determine whether a product can even enter a foreign market. Yet this crucial issue barely features in India’s FTA conversations.Every FTA has chapters on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and SPS. But they do not automatically open doors. What helps exporters is sector-specific acceptance of India’s regulatory systems, testing, and certification by partner countries.India has already done this. Under the India-Singapore CECA, it secured mutual acceptance for food, pharmaceuticals, telecom, and electrical and electronic products. This approach should return to the centre of India’s FTA strategy.Efficient systemsSeveral of India’s regulatory and certification systems already enjoy international recognition and should be actively advanced in FTA negotiations.Export Inspection Council (EIC): The European Commission has accepted EIC’s seafood certification since 1997. EIC’s approvals for other food products have also found acceptance abroad. These are low-hanging fruits for negotiating acceptance with countries like the UK, the US, Canada and New Zealand.APEDA’s Organic Certification: APEDA’s National Programme for Organic Production is accepted by the EU and several other countries. This is a ready-made case for FTA partners.Quality Council of India (QCI) schemes: Schemes such as Ayush Premium Mark, ICMED 13485 Plus for medical devices, and IndiaHACCP are aligned with global norms. These can be positioned for acceptance in FTAs, especially in sectors where India wants to scale exports.These examples also bust a common myth: India does not need to harmonise domestic standards with global standards before seeking acceptance.BIS certification under QCOs: Some of the Quality Control Orders under the BIS Act are based on adoption of ISO/IEC standards. These should find acceptance abroad but don’t, since BIS certification is unaccredited — a gap that needs to be addressed to serve industry’s interest and avoid duplicate testing/certification.Few know that India’s accreditation ecosystem ranks among the top ten globally. India now has multiple accreditation bodies — public and private — that have secured international equivalence through the Global Accreditation Cooperation Inc. This means: Indian lab test reports can be accepted abroad; Indian certification bodies can issue globally valid ISO 13485 certificates; and Indian verifiers can be recognised under mechanisms like the EU’s CBAM.But acceptance must be negotiated, sector by sector.The biggest gains from FTAs will come from mutual acceptance of testing, certification, inspection, and verification. India must also be ready to accept partner-country reports under its own regulations. Reciprocity builds trust and speeds up negotiations. This matters for medical devices, food, pharma, PPE, toys, and even sustainability-linked verification.India’s regulatory strengths vary across sectors. A one-size-fits-all approach won’t work. What is needed is a structured strategy that identifies: sectors where India already has globally accepted systems; areas where equivalence can be quickly built; opportunities to leverage accreditation; and domestic regulatory gaps that need fixing. This must run in parallel with FTA negotiations — not after them.FTAs focused only on tariffs will deliver only half the gains. India must use FTAs to secure recognition of its regulatory systems, certifications, testing, and accreditation capabilities.The writer is Visiting Fellow, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS)Published on August 14, 2026
