A two-day intensive discussion between European Union’s Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic and India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyusg Goyal concluded here on Tuesday, providing strategic guidance to the teams negotiating a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The agreement could be concluded “at the earliest,” sources here said.
The visit of Sefcovic took place against the backdrop of the technical discussions held from 3-9 December 2025 in New Delhi across key chapters of India-EU FTA covering Market Access for Goods, Rules of Origin, Services, Technical Barriers to Trade, Trade and Sustainable Development.
The visit was preceded by high-level discussions between Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal and Director-General Trade, European Commission Sabine Weyand.
Sefcovic’s meet with Jaishankar
Before he met Goyal, Sefcovic also held discussions with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday. He also met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday. “We had a constructive, results-oriented discussion on key areas of shared interest and opportunity between India and the EU.” EU trade commissioner posted on ‘X’ after his meeting with the finance minister.
“Both sides took note of the steady progress achieved across various negotiating tracks and agreed on the need to sustain the current momentum through continued exchanges,” a commerce ministry statement said. The ministerial-level discussions reaffirmed the strong political resolve on either side to address pending issues through constructive engagement and to work towards a comprehensive, mutually advantageous outcome.
Both sides are aiming to conclude the negotiations in 2025 itself. The year-end deadline to wrap up the negotiations was set in February when the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited India with the full college of commissioners.
Officials say that because of momentum in talks, the deal would be agreed to positively at the most by the first quarter of 2026. In January India and EU will be holding their summit
An overview of FTA negotiations between India and EU
India and the EU resumed talks on a comprehensive FTA in June 2022. In addition to the main agreement, both sides are also negotiating deals on Geographical Indications and Investment Protection. The FTA covers 23 chapters or policy areas.
“Of the 23 chapters under discussion, 11 have already been closed. Important chapters still under negotiation include market access for cars, steel, certain aspects of services and investments and technical barriers to trade,” EU Ambassador to India Herve Delphin on last Friday.
Since the relaunch, 14 formal rounds of negotiations on the FTA have taken place. Following the 14th round in October, the sides shifted to a format of continuous negotiations, supplemented by meetings between top officials and political leadership to expedite progress.
The EU is pressing for significant duty cuts on automobiles and medical devices, along with tax reductions on wine, spirits, meat, and poultry, as well as a strong intellectual property framework. India, meanwhile, seeks duty-free access for labor-intensive goods and emerging sectors such as autos and electronics.
The FTA is considered crucial, as the 27-member bloc is India’s largest trading partner, with bilateral merchandise trade totalling $136.2 billion, though the US remains the country’s biggest market. Exports to the EU stood at $75.8 billion in 2024-25, while imports were $60.6 billion. Services trade is also robust, reaching $70 billion in 2023, giving India a surplus of $9.25 billion.