The Thai Tuna Industry Association (TTIA) is urging EU and Thai negotiators to accelerate work on a comprehensive EU–Thailand Free Trade Agreement, arguing that the deal would reinforce sustainable seafood supply chains and deliver economic and environmental benefits for both sides.
In a statement, TTIA President Dr Chanintr Chalisarapong said a trade agreement would go far beyond tariff cuts: “The EU–Thailand FTA is more than a trade agreement. It aligns open markets with high standards on sustainability, traceability, and labour, creating shared value for workers, producers, and consumers.”
Thailand’s tuna industry – one of the world’s largest – already complies with stringent EU regulations, TTIA noted, including requirements on food safety, labour rights and environmental protection. The sector has vessel-to-can traceability and widespread certification under GMP and HACCP standards.
TTIA argues an FTA would accelerate investment in digital traceability, sustainability programmes and compliance systems, enabling Thai processors to meet new EU legislation on supply-chain due diligence, environmental reporting and food safety.
Under an agreement, Thai producers say they would be able to expand sustainable value-added production while creating skilled jobs in processing, logistics, and data-driven supply chain management.
For Europe, the association argued, the deal would ensure more predictable and transparent seafood supplies, supporting food security, reducing exposure to global market volatility, and sustaining jobs in canneries, import hubs and distribution networks.
“This agreement proves that trade liberalisation and high standards can reinforce each other,” Chalisarapong said. “It will make seafood supply chains more resilient, sustainable, and fair – benefiting both economies.”
A TTIA white paper highlights that the EU already provides liberalised tuna market access to Peru, Ecuador, South Korea and other partners through existing trade agreements. Offering Thailand equivalent treatment — combined with clear sustainability safeguards — would create a level playing field for a major global tuna supplier and strengthen the EU’s open strategic autonomy in food supply chains, it said.
Negotiations for an EU–Thailand FTA resumed in 2023 after a years-long pause, with both sides aiming for a modern agreement covering goods, services, sustainability and digital trade.
