International treaty

UK-India CETA Chapter 28: General Provisions and Exceptions

Text of chapter 28 of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and India.

• From: Department for Business and Trade
• Published: 24 July 2025
• Last updated: 15 July 2026 — See all updates

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Chapter 28: General Provisions and Exceptions (PDF version)

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Chapter 28 General Provisions and Exceptions

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This chapter allows the UK and India to take various kinds of measures that would not otherwise conform with the commitments made in the agreement, to serve the legitimate public policy objectives set out within the individual exceptions. These flexibilities protect domestic policy space and preserve the UK and India’s rights to regulate in the public interest.

The chapter incorporates the General Exceptions found within the World Trade Organisation’s General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), and a dedicated exception relating to national security.

It also provides policy-making discretion in matters of taxation and macroeconomic management, and a provision recalling the exclusions and exceptions elsewhere in the agreement that are applicable to the National Health Service (NHS).

Published 24 July 2025

Last updated 15 July 2026 — Show all updates

1. 15 July 2026

   Page updated to reflect that the agreement entered in to force on 15 July 2026.

2. 24 July 2025

   First published.