Brussel: India and the European Union have taken another step towards concluding a long-pending free trade agreement (FTA), with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday saying that discussions with EU Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič in Brussels were “productive” and helped advance negotiations.
In a post on X, Goyal said the two sides “made good progress and provided strategic guidance to our negotiating teams,” while reaffirming their “strong political resolve to deliver a fair, balanced and ambitious agreement aligned with the economic priorities of both India and the EU.”
The meeting comes at a critical juncture for India–EU trade talks, which were relaunched in 2022 after a prolonged pause and have since seen multiple negotiating rounds. The proposed agreement is expected to cover goods, services, investment protection, intellectual property, sustainability commitments and regulatory cooperation.
Officials familiar with the discussions said the latest engagement at the political level was aimed at narrowing differences on market access, rules of origin and non-tariff barriers, while also aligning positions on emerging areas such as digital trade and supply-chain resilience. The EU has been keen on stronger commitments on sustainability and labour standards, while India has sought greater flexibility for its domestic industry and improved access for services and skilled professionals.
The renewed push also reflects broader geopolitical and economic considerations. For the EU, deepening economic ties with India is part of a strategy to diversify supply chains and reduce over-dependence on a few markets.
For India, an agreement with the EU — its largest trading partner in goods — could significantly boost exports, attract investment and integrate Indian firms more deeply into global value chains.