India has improved its trade diplomacy by negotiating several bilateral agreements with the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and now the European Union, the commerce ministry said.
India has improved its trade diplomacy by negotiating several bilateral agreements with the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and now the European Union, the commerce ministry said. India has recently seen an increase in its trade engagements with its global partners. India has just completed the 14th round of negotiations for an India-EU FTA, and its economic partnership with the US and UK is also progressing well. Negotiations with other key partners such as South Korea, Oman and Australia are also progressing well. India is making efforts to advance trade relations.
India-European Union FTA
The Commerce Ministry said the 14th round of India-EU FTA negotiations, held from October 6 to 10, 2025 in Brussels, covered 12 policy areas and 91 technical sessions. Discussions focused on market access for goods and services, rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS) and technical barriers to trade (TBT). Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said: “Trade negotiations are progressing very well. There is a good chance it will be concluded by December. We are in the final stage of negotiations. The most difficult things are decided in the end. We are in tight negotiations.
“We have not scheduled the next round because we believe that there are problems in all areas that we need to resolve, and they need to be resolved on an ongoing basis. Some officials from the Indian team have remained in Brussels to take forward the negotiations on the rules for the regions. This is an area where there is still a lot of work to be done,” he said.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal had said earlier this month that there had been “very good discussions” between the EU and India in Brussels. EFTA countries include Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
Piyush Goyal expressed optimism about the partnership, describing it as a collaboration between the $20 trillion European Union, made up of 27 countries, and India, the world’s fastest-growing large economy.
Indo-US bilateral talks
Bilateral trade engagements between India and the US also continue as the US Ambassador-designate, during his visit to India, met all stakeholders and had productive meetings. Indian negotiating teams are in the United States. They are trying to find a win-win solution for both parties. Discussions are underway on whether 45 percent of Indian exports to the United States will remain duty-free.
An Indian delegation also visited the United States to discuss issues related to the trade agreement with the United States. Five rounds of trade negotiations have taken place between the two countries so far, and the first phase of the trade deal will conclude in November this year, according to reports.
India-UK Economic Partnership
India also deepened its economic partnership with the UK through a series of high-level interactions. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited India from October 8-9, 2025. Many senior ministers, CEOs, entrepreneurs and university leaders accompanied him during his visit. On the sidelines of the visit, a bilateral meeting with the UK Secretary of State for Trade and Business was held in Mumbai on October 8, during which both sides signed the Terms of Reference (ToR) to reset the Joint Economic and Commercial Committee (JETCO).
The Indian Commerce Secretary also met with the Director General of the UK Department of Business and Commerce, while several sectoral roundtables were held in priority sectors. The India-UK CEO Forum, co-chaired by key industry leaders, explored new opportunities for investment, innovation and business expansion.
With other bilateral partners
- CECA India-Australia, 11 formal cycles completed, the last in August 2025.
- ETCA India-Sri Lanka, 14 rounds organized, the last in July 2024.
- India-Oman: Concerning the India-Oman CEPA, the negotiations were concluded after 5 rounds of negotiations.
- India-Peru FTA, 9th round scheduled for November 3-5, 2025, while India-Chile FTA, 3rd round scheduled for October 27-31, 2025.
- CEPA India-Korea, 11 rounds organized so far, the last one in Seoul in July 2024.
(with ANI entries)
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