The free trade agreement between Georgia and the EFTA nations provides for the elimination or reduction of customs duties on trade, origin regulations, hygiene and phytohygienic regulations, the removal of technical trade barriers and agreements on the protection of investment and intellectual property, access to public tenders and service business, among other things.
Switzerland and Georgia hope that the free trade deal, which still has to be ratified by the individual nations party to the agreement, will help them substantially increase bilateral trade, formerly modest (2015: CHF 39 million), over the next few years. Switzerland’s chief exports to Georgia are currently pharmaceutical products (52%), timepieces (11%) and optical and medical instruments (7%). The country’s major imports from Georgia are textiles and clothing. EFTA:
