BANGKOK — Thailand’s proposed free trade deal with the European Union could help lift annual growth above 3% and pull in more foreign investment, Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun said on 18 September 2026, with negotiators still racing to close the remaining chapters in Phuket from 28 September.
Speaking at Government House, Suphajee pointed to a study by the Institute of Future Studies for Development estimating the agreement could raise Thailand’s GDP by 1.28% and exports by 2.8%. With growth currently running at just over 2%, she argued the pact could push the annual pace above 3% — while also making Thailand a more attractive manufacturing base for investors seeking preferential access to the EU market.
About two-thirds of the agreement’s chapters are already settled, leaving roughly one-third outstanding. The tenth negotiating round is scheduled to open in Phuket on 28 September and run for about a week, with Bangkok’s objective to finish the remaining chapters then. After that comes a legal scrub, signature, Cabinet approval, and parliament — a sequence Suphajee estimated at about one year end to end.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul chaired the second 2026 working-group meeting on the Thailand–EU FTA before Suphajee’s remarks, pressing agencies for a common framework of preferred and fallback positions. On sensitive goods, Thailand will follow the approach discussed with the EU in the ninth round in Brussels — setting those categories aside while opening markets first where both sides see mutual gains. Suphajee also said the deal could encourage US, Chinese, and Japanese manufacturers to locate production in Thailand to tap preferential EU tariffs.
Bottom line: The growth and FDI upside is the headline — but 28 September in Phuket is still the make-or-break date for the remaining third of chapters. Watch whether negotiators clear that block before the legal scrub clock starts; exporters and FDI planners should treat Cabinet-to-parliament as a ~12-month runway, not an overnight switch.
— WWC NEWSDESK
