"Weeraphong" meets delegation of European business representatives from the EU-ASEAN Business Council (EU-ABC) and the European Association for Business and Commerce (EABC), affirming that the Thai government is committed to concluding the Thailand-EU FTA as quickly as possible. The private sector welcomes the progress in negotiations and is ready to support the DEFA agreement, while also being invited to increase investment in Thailand.
Weeraphong Prapa, Thailand's Trade Representative, disclosed that on 17 July 2026, he, together with a team of senior Ministry of Commerce executives, was assigned by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Supajee Suthumpun to serve as representatives to welcome and hold in-depth discussions with a delegation of European business representatives from the EU-ASEAN Business Council (EU-ABC), led by Mr. Noel Cleehane, Vice Chairman of the EU-ABC Executive Board, and the European Association for Business and Commerce (EABC), led by Ms. Paranee Adulyapiched, President of EABC Thailand, along with more than 30 senior executives from 25 major European companies operating in ASEAN and Thailand, in order to exchange views on economics, trade, investment, and approaches to elevating cooperation between Thailand and the European Union.
During the discussions, he presented the Thai government's economic and trade policies, particularly in the area of international trade, to reassure European investors and business representatives that Thailand is committed to concluding the Thailand-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations as soon as possible, in order to enhance Thailand's long-term competitiveness. This is among the top economic policy priorities of the Thai government under Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, which has established a working group to drive the Thailand-EU FTA negotiations and assigned Supajee to serve as its chairperson. The negotiations have been divided into six clusters: 1. Agriculture, 2. Industry, 3. Energy, 4. Government Procurement, 5. Trade in Services, Investment, including Digital Trade, and 6. Regulations, including Intellectual Property.
The European private sector expressed satisfaction that the Thailand-EU FTA negotiations have made significant progress, and proposed that the government consider establishing a joint working group with the private sector to create advantages and enhance the capacity of Thai operators to compete more effectively in the EU market — particularly with regard to knowledge transfer on sustainability regulations, which is a key factor that Thai businesses must adapt to in order to access the European market.
EU businesses also expressed readiness to support the utilisation of ASEAN's Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), which is scheduled for signing in November 2026. Thailand holds the chairmanship of the relevant meetings and plays a key role in driving the negotiations to a successful conclusion.
Weeraphong said he also discussed Thailand's economic and trade reform policies, and invited the European private sector to expand their investment in Thailand. The EU private sector placed emphasis on Ease of Doing Business, which would help promote Thailand as a regional trade hub. According to the latest survey of European business sentiment, there is full confidence in investing in Thailand, with over 57% of the business community ready to expand their investment in Thailand over the next five years, a figure expected to increase further once the Thailand-EU FTA negotiations are concluded.
In addition, interest was expressed in the improvement of key laws, such as amendments to the business categories listed in the annex to the Foreign Business Act 1999, upgrades to intellectual property laws, the scope of domestic goods and services price control policies, and policies for managing volatility in raw material prices, plastics, and packaging.
Currently, the European Union (EU) is Thailand's fourth-largest trading partner, after China, the United States, and Japan. In 2025, the value of trade between Thailand and the EU stood at USD 45,033 million (approximately 1.51 trillion baht), an increase of 3.44%. Thailand's exports amounted to USD 26,449 million (approximately 888,000 million baht), up 9.27%, while imports stood at USD 18,584 million (approximately 623,000 million baht), down 3.86%, resulting in a trade surplus of USD 7,864 million (approximately 264,000 million baht). Thailand's major export products to the EU include computers and components, gems and jewellery, air conditioners, rubber products, and automobiles. Major import products from the EU include machinery, pharmaceuticals, aircraft and equipment, chemicals, and electrical machinery.
The 25 major European companies operating in ASEAN and Thailand are: APISWA, Aviation Pro Asia Group Advisors (AGA), Bayer, BDO, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bosch, The Coca-Cola Company, Danone, Diageo, DHL, Ergo Insurance, Evonik, FrieslandCampina, Gulf Development, Japan Tobacco International (JTI), Kenvue, Michelin, Philip Morris International, SAP, Speyside, Standard Chartered Bank, SWIFT, Tetra Pak, and Yara.
