The Minister of Trade of the Union and Industry, Piyush Goyal, shared on X that he had welcomed the European Commissioner on trade Maros Sefcovic and the commissioner for agriculture and food Christophe Hansen during their visit from September 12 to in India.
“While the India-EU FTA negotiations continue, we have reiterated our common commitment to its early conclusion. A balanced and mutually beneficial ALE will unlock new opportunities for people and businesses on both sides,” said Goyal.
The EU delegation is in New Delhi to advance the 13th cycle of discussions and organize meetings with Goyal aimed at setting up bilateral business links.
The EU Embassy in India confirmed the visit earlier on X, noting that the two commissioners “would meet Minister Piyush Goyal, would make stock and power in the commercial links of India-EU and connect with the main stakeholders”.
According to the Ani news agency, Goyal recently indicated that almost 60% of the chapters under negotiation had already been completed. “I think the main negotiators work to converge on different parts of the agreement. Almost 60% of the chapters are completed and finalized,” he said, expressing optimism that significant progress could be made during the visit of the EU commissioners.
The talks have also attracted the support of European leaders. The German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Johann Wadephul, recently assured that the Minister of External Affairs Jaishankar that Berlin would support the European Commission to bring the agreement to a rapid conclusion.
“Germany fully supports this agreement, negotiated as soon as possible. We are a free trade nation … The EU works (the agreement with) India is the most important for us. I really hope that we can succeed,” said Wadephul.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also underlined the strong support of Italy to the ALE during a recent telephone conversation with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni. In an article on X Wednesday, he thanked Meloni for the “proactive support of Italy for having concluded an Indian-EU-EU trade agreement”.
Meanwhile, India has stressed that significant progress will require treating non -tariff obstacles alongside issues related to prices, with inclusive and proportionate regulatory frameworks.
India has sealed several commercial pacts in recent years, including agreements with Maurice, the United Arab Emirates, Australia and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). The India-UK economy and trade agreement (CETA), signed in 2025, is still expecting implementation. Another major pact, the Commercial Partnership and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), is expected to come into force this year once the ratification is completed.
In addition to the EU talks, India pursues negotiations on other fronts, notably with Australia, Sri Lanka, Peru, Chile, New Zealand and the United States.
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