There is no possibility of signing a free trade agreement (FTA) with Bangladesh in the foreseeable future because of the complexity related to the issue as well as bloc's lack of interest, said Charles Whiteley, head of the delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh, today.

Bangladesh's future trade benefits will largely depend on bilateral free trade agreements (FTA) as the country may lose duty-free facilities once it graduates to a middle-income nation in seven-eight years, analysts and businessmen yesterday said.

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka yesterday agreed to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by this year, aiming to further strengthen and institutionalise bilateral trade cooperation between the two nations. The decision to sign the FTA was finalised during the official bilateral talks between visiting Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Prime Minister's Office.

Many laypersons may not be aware that what is typically touted as a 'FTA' has often much less to do with free trade and more to do with preferential trade.