Political engagement will continue between Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Gill added. This means that no new full-fledged round of negotiations has been scheduled as both sides strive to conclude their negotiations – something Brussels and New Delhi aim to do before the end of this year.
“Negotiators also had in-depth discussions on their respective offensive and defensive interests in market access for goods, both in the industrial and agricultural sectors,” Gill said.
Negotiations accelerated after the arrival of US President Donald Trump. hit India with 50 percent tariff in August because of its energy purchases from Russia, which came as a shock to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. With the 27-nation EU also subject to a US base tariff of 15%, both countries want to diversify their trade relations.
India sent its Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal to Brussels last week to “give additional momentum” to the negotiations, according to the Indian News Agency. PTI reported in an optimistic dispatch Monday. Agrawal met the EU’s top trade official, Sabine Weyand, as the two sides sought to “accelerate progress” on the long-awaited trade deal.
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