To provide political impetus and strategic direction to the negotiations on India-European Union for the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal would be in Brussels from Monday for a series of meetings with the leadership of the 27-member trade bloc. “The visit comes at a crucial stage in the ongoing India–EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, as both sides intensify efforts to conclude a comprehensive, balanced, and mutually beneficial trade agreement at the earliest,” a statement by the ministry of commerce and industry said.
Discussions are expected to cover key areas of the proposed FTA, including market access, non-tariff measures, and regulatory cooperation. The visit will also serve to review progress achieved so far and to identify areas requiring further convergence.
The visit and meetings scheduled for Monday and Tuesday gel with the decision from both sides to remain continuously engaged rather than through formal rounds of negotiations followed by long gaps.
Both sides had set a deadline of December this year to conclude negotiations on the FTA. The continuous engagement at the level of negotiators and at the political level at this stage will help meet that deadline.
This deadline was set in February when the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyan visited India with the entire college of commissioners.
Goyal’s visit builds on the momentum generated by the 14th round of discussions on FTA held earlier this month, the statement added. During the visit high-level discussions with Executive Vice-President and European Commissioner for Trade of the European Union Maroš Šefčovič are scheduled..
Goyal’s engagements in Brussels will include a bilateral meeting with Commissioner Šefčovič followed by a working dinner, where both leaders are expected to reaffirm the shared ambition to strengthen the India–EU trade and economic partnership.
Last week, the EC Council had adopted the EU-India Strategic roadmap. It is expected to be officially adopted by both the sides at the EU-India Summit in early 2026. The new agenda is built around greater cooperation in trade and investment, technology and defence, connectivity and climate action.
The negotiations on the India-EU FTA began in June 2022. The FTA covers 23 policy areas or chapters, including Trade in Goods, Trade in Services, Investment, Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, Technical Barriers to Trade, Trade Remedies, Rules of Origin, Customs and Trade Facilitation, Competition, Trade Defence, Government Procurement, Dispute Settlement, Intellectual Property Rights, Geographical Indications, and Sustainable Development. Agreement on six of these chapters have already been achieved.