India: Signed India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) containing digital trade chapter

On 17 February 2022, India and the United Arab Emirates signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which contains a digital trade chapter. The chapter fosters paperless trading and enhances coordination on consumer protection, unsolicited commercial electronic messages, personal data protection, cross border flow of information and cooperation on e-business and e-payment solutions. The chapter will be applied with best endeavours and is not included in the dispute settlement mechanism established by the CEPA. Further, regular contact between the regulatory bodies are meant to harmonise regulatory standards.