New Delhi — Senior officials from India and the 27-member European Union (EU) are set to begin the 14th round of negotiations on the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in Brussels on Monday. The five-day talks, starting October 6, aim to resolve remaining differences and accelerate the conclusion of the long-pending deal, an official said.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has expressed optimism that the agreement will be signed soon, emphasizing that the pact will boost trade and investment between India and the EU. Goyal is also expected to meet EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic in South Africa later this month to review progress, as both sides have targeted December as the deadline to finalize the deal.
Last month, Sefcovic and European Commission Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen visited New Delhi to review the negotiations with Goyal. The two sides resumed talks in June 2022 after an eight-year pause since discussions stalled in 2013 over market access issues.
The EU has been seeking major tariff reductions on automobiles, medical devices, wine, spirits, meat, and poultry, along with stronger intellectual property protections. India, meanwhile, hopes to secure better access for its exports such as textiles, pharmaceuticals, steel, petroleum products, and electrical machinery, which could become more competitive under the FTA.
The trade pact covers 23 key areas, including trade in goods and services, investment protection, geographical indications, sanitary and phytosanitary standards, technical barriers to trade, rules of origin, customs facilitation, intellectual property rights, and sustainable development.
India’s bilateral trade in goods with the EU stood at USD 136.53 billion in 2024–25, with exports worth USD 75.85 billion and imports at USD 60.68 billion. The EU remains India’s largest trading partner for goods, accounting for about 17% of India’s total exports, while India represents 9% of the EU’s global trade. Bilateral trade in services was estimated at USD 51.45 billion in 2023.
